Forbidden Love: A Dragon's Story
by Masterpiece Stories
Summary: Two Dragons, Aurora and Cyclone, have been best friends since childhood and have always aspired to become members of the council that governs their clan high in the mountains. Despite their dream coming true, they inevitably start to grow more attached to each other. However, romance is forbidden between councilors.
1. Chapter 1: Ascension

High above in the mountains of Stormheim, a great storm raged. Lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the ground below with a white light equal to that of the sun, thunder crashed and boomed in a manner that would send ripples through even the most stalwart of warriors. Amidst the raging storm two dragons circled about darting forward as fast as their wings could take them as if they were locked in a race.

Aurora spoke as she was neck and neck with her friend Cyclone. "Having trouble keeping up?"

He chuckled with a confident grin and sped up as they began to reach their home on the mountain peak. "You haven't gotten the best of me yet, Aurora, I've saved the best for last." He said as he braced himself while the storm crackled.

She braced herself as well as soon as the storm swelled up with tremendous energy. As soon as the largest bolts of lightning struck the two storm dragons rode the lightning beam downward as the lightning prepared to strike the mountain. Their wings were at their side and they spiraled downward to get better momentum until at last they outstretched their wings and landed on their feet with a booming thud. Though their landing was so on point is was difficult to tell who the victor was.

Aurora lifted her head after her landing to look at him. "You are good Cyclone. I was thinking to myself that all that time you spent on the council may have taken a beat or two off those wings of yours.

He lifted his head back to look at her as well. "Hah. I think not, my friend. In my spare time i enjoy keeping my body in shape as well as my mind even though the latter is most necessary for this job."

She nodded back to him respectfully and the two dragons started to walk side by side back to their clans location.

Cyclone turned to face her even as they walked. "Though i hope you're ready for the big day today. The council is ready to deliberate on whether we're ready for you to join us on the High Dragon Council."

"As if I could forget." She huffed. "I haven't been this nervous in quite some time to be quite honest. This has been my dream since I was a little girl."

He smiled as he feeling proud of her. "You know, I really am proud that you would aspire to such a position like this. I know for sure the council is going to vote for you given how hard you've worked. Though to be quite honest, the council could definitely use more female dragons like yourself. We only have the one so far."

"Councilwoman Eclipse?" Said Aurora.

"Yes indeed." Replied Cyclone. "We have five male councilors and only one female. It's a shame because most females are more concerned with living a life of luxury, starting a family, and working in the nursery. It's very rare to see a woman like you have such high aspirations and a desire to contribute to the world with more than just your body. We've known each other since we were children and never once have I doubted that you were anything short of a prodigy waiting for greatness."

She smiled, fluttering her wings with excitement as she had never heard someone give her such appreciation for her head work. "Thank you Cyclone. I needed to hear that. Do you really mean it, or are you just trying to butter me up so I'll vote with you on the council?" She inquired.

"Can't it be both?" He said with a huff and smile as he joked about.

She give him a swift punch to the shoulder and they both laughed.

"I'm kidding! kidding!" He said chuckling. "You know I hold honor above all else. I would never dishonor myself by trying to pander for votes."

"I know, Cyclone. You're a good man." Aurora insisted. People like you are the reason I seek to join the council, so I can hand out justice in an honorable way. Though the only thing I'm nervous about is the vote to swear me in."

"Are you kidding?" Said Cyclone as her prodded her with the tip of his wing. "Come on, the council loves you! Even the High Dragon, Tempest, admires you. You need not worry, Aurora, I've only been on the council for only a year and I can tell you that as long as you stay true to yourself, you'll do great."

"Well lets get to it then shall we?" She inquired with much enthusiasm.

"I thought you'd never ask. The council awaits us." He said as both dragons picked up their speed.

Once the two storm dragons reached the camp, Cyclone separated with her to go join the council for their pre-meeting deliberations.

Aurora waited her judgment as she sat in front of the High Throne of the Council of Dragons. The councilors were just starting to take their seats. Already Aurora's heart was beating through her chest. This was either going to be the best day of her life or the worst.

The High Dragon, Tempest, spoke up with his deep booming voice as he addressed the clan. "Shall we begin?" He said as he looked as his fellow councilors and then back to Aurora. "Aurora, you have worked day and night, trying to prove yourself to this council. We have noticed your efforts and are prepared to deliver a verdict on whether or not we shall except you onto the council to govern, protect, and guide the race of storm dragons to a brighter future. We shall begin starting from left to right. Councilor Typhoon, how do you vote?"

"Yes." Said Councilor Typhoon as he nodded to Aurora respectfully.

"Councilwoman Eclipse, how do you vote?" Said Tempest.

"I vote yes." She said with another bow of respect."

"Councilman Twister" Said Tempest.

"I vote yes as well." Said Twister.

By now the excitement that was building up in Aurora's heart felt like it was about to burst as she had never experienced anything like this before.

Tempest spoke once more. "Councilman Monsoon, How do you vote."

"It's a yes for me as well." Said Monsoon.

"Councilman Storm, how do you vote?" Boomed Tempest.

"A yes for me." Said Storm.

Tempest spoke once more. "And lastly, councilman Cyclone, how do you vote?"

For a moment both Aurora and Cyclone looked eyes as he smiled greatly at her, thinking of how much they both have grown and bettered themselves as dragons. Without a moments hesitation he spoke up with his characteristic calm and soothing voice.

"A yes for me." Said Cyclone.

"Very well." Boomed High Dragon Tempest. "The council has voted to swear you in to our rank. I shall read you the rules and once you swear the oath you shall join us."

By this time Aurora was so happy tears of joy were starting to form in her eyes but she held them back quite masterfully as she did not want to make a fool out of herself during the meeting.

"Rule number one." Said Tempest. "Never tell a falsehood while under oath. As a councilwoman your duty is to speak the truth at all times and deliver a verdict that is fair. Do you comply?"

"Yes, High Dragon." Spoke Aurora.

"Rule number two." Said the High Dragon. "The safety of your people comes before the safety of yourself. As a member of this council, your duty is to protect the clan from any who would do us harm, even at the cost of your own life. Would you give your life to defend the clan?"

"I would, High Dragon." Said Aurora once again.

"Rule number three." Spoke Tempest. "You are to never take a bribe from anyone. Being a member of this council requires a dedication to the truth, rather than gain. We are to be freed from corruption. Do you comply?"

"I do." Said Aurora.

"The fourth and final rule." Said Tempest. "You are forbidden from being romantically involved with anyone on the council. As a council, we have sworn an oath to always be neutral. Being involved romantically with another councilor can influence your vote. Do you comply with this rule?"

Aurora nodded. "I do."

"Very well. The council has deemed you worthy of joining the High Throne of the Council of Dragons. You have surpassed all expectations set forth by your higher ups and we are ready to consider you no longer a subject, but rather a peer and an equal. Welcome, Councilwoman Aurora."

After the High Dragon spoke all of the council including Cyclone bowed to her with respect.

Very slowly Aurora took one step after another, walking up the stairs to take her seat on the council. She looked to the sky and closed her eyes as she took it all in at once. For now, everything she had always dreamed of was now a reality.

To be continued in chapter two...


	2. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

The High Throne assembled at the mountain top as all of the councilors, including Aurora now, took their seat and listened up. Already Aurora was preparing to bring her A-game today as it was her first day and she was hoping to set a good impression for the other councilors.

"Thank you all for coming today." Spoke High Dragon Tempest. "Shall we get down to the first issue at hand?" He said looking around to all the councilors before speaking once more. "So, as you all may or may not know, the Vrykul below are expanding their territory. The problem with this being is that the area they are encroaching into is coming dangerously close to our nursery. If the Vrykul do decide to expand further, the children of this clan will be the first obstacle in their way. We need to find solution as to where we can relocate the nursery and protect our young." He said looking around noticing councilman Twister was raising his head to speak.

"There is no more room. All of the dens are preoccupied and we've made the most efficient use out of the space provided on our camp. We could however construct a new nursery in the valley below the mountain where none occupy it." Said Councilman Twister.

"At what cost?" Said Cyclone. "If we construct a new area outside of our camp we'll have to stretch our night watch even further and our guards are already stretched thin as it is."

"I believe we can agree that dividing up our guard further isn't an option." Responded Councilwoman Eclipse. "As Councilman Twister already states, we've maximized efficient usage out of our land but we have not prepared for a situation like this. Therefore I move that we begin looking for a new camp and begin an exodus from out current location." She concluded.

Councilman Storm shook his head. "That would take up too much time and leave us vulnerable to attack. The Kvaldir already patrol the eastern shore, the only other mountain locations would be around that area but we could not do so without hostile engagement. Need I remind you that the Vrykul and Kvaldir think of our hides and scales as nothing more than trinkets? The last thing we need to do is make ourselves vulnerable."

Cyclone looked over to Aurora and noticed a confident smile creeping across her face.

"We don't have to move." Spoke up Aurora finally. The rest of the council looked in her direction. "The Vrykul are encroaching on the land closest to our Nursery, so instead of finding a new place or constructing a new area we should switch the Warriors den with the Nursery. With the Warriors den closest to the encroaching force, we could have the center of our might focused on the direction of a possible attack. The Warriors den is located in our rear position, closest to the valley which as you've said, is peacefully uninhabited. With this option we'll keep our most dangerous front heavily fortified and our young safe from harm.

High Dragon Tempest huffed amused at her idea and looked at the rest of the councilors as they looked at each other. "A brilliant Idea, Aurora. I wonder how we could have possibly missed it." Bellowed Tempest. "Lets see how the council feels. All those opposed to switching the Warriors den and the Nursery say no." Yet no one opposes. "All those in favor?" The council unanimously agreed with a strong 'Aye'.

"Very well then." Said Tempest. "We'll make preparations, give a few days notice and begin the swap as soon as possible. This council is adjourned for now."

As the council dispersed Tempest came up to Aurora and they both bowed. "Keep up the good work, Councilwoman Aurora. You're doing a fine job." He remarked.

"Thank you, High Dragon." Said Aurora respectfully as Tempest departed.

Cyclone walked up to Aurora with a smile and gave her a nudge with his wing. "Well well well. First day on the job and you've already earned the praise of Tempest I see."

Aurora smiled confidently. "Well I always had a good idea or two under my wing." She remarked. "There's still a bit of sunlight left, lets go enjoy the view in the valley. You want to?" She inquired.

"Of course! After all this council work we hardly have time to relax anymore." He said as they both walked side by side to the valley.

Once they arrived, the sun was still in the sky, not quite sunset yet but it would be soon. Cyclone looked over to her. "Alright then, what to do...what to do..." He said playfully nudging Aurora with his wing once more, which made her head poke up.

"You trying to knock me off balance with that wing of yours?" Said Aurora with a playfully inquisitive tone.

Cyclone scoffed. "Please. If I was really trying to do that you'd be rolled over onto your back."

"You sound so sure." remarked Aurora. "Don't even start with that whole male dragons are stronger than females nonsense, cause I'll make you eat those words." She said with a snicker.

"You sound so sure?" Remarked Cyclone, mocking her words right back to her. He grinned whilst doing so.

Aurora huffed and backed away once they were in the center of the valley. "Alright then, see if you can pin me then. We'll see if whit can triumph over brute strength." She said readying herself.

Cyclone looked around mischievously. "Though if you have both, thats not such a bad thing..." He said as he noticed she was too distracted by his head and wings. His tail sweeped across the ground, swiping her back feet off the ground and unbalancing her. He then nudged her side hard with his wing which caused her to fall over onto her back. He quickly tried to pounce on her and pin her to the grass.

Aurora recovered from the fall quite easily and managed to hook her front claws with his, grasping onto his legs. Using her back legs, she kicked upwards, sending him into a backflip over her and landing about five feet away from her. "Deceptive move, councilman." She remarked playfully as she slowly strode over to him and looked down as he was on the ground, stunned from the landing.

"Whats the matter? Feeling a little dizz-" She was cut off by surprise as he was merely faking being stunned. He grasped her with his wings and rolled. They tumbled down the side of the valley until the landed on even ground. Now he was on top of her. He quickly pinned her feet to the ground with his own and pushed her wings to the grass until she couldn't move them.

"Game over, Councilwoman." He said with a sly grin as he watched her struggle underneath him until she finally gave up and looked up to him with a scoff.

"Interesting strategy, but you honestly think I would fall for that twice if we had a rematch?" She said as she remained perfectly still underneath him.

He scratched his chin as he pondered and chuckled. "I think I'll just enjoy the victory for now." He said as was now laying on her to keep her pinned. He looked down to see if she was still struggling. "All you need to do is admit i'm better this time and you'll be free."

She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Fine you're better." She said with a slight chuckle as she enjoyed spending time with him like this even if he was beating her.

He rolled off of her and laid by her side with a deep sigh as the sun was now setting. He turned and faced her as they both laid on the ground. "I'm glad I have a friend like you to be with after my duty is done."

She turned and faced him as well. "I'm glad I have you as well." she said staring at him. "You take all the stress out of my life and leave me with nothing but enjoyment and happiness." She stated.

As he looked at her something seemed to click in his mind. He remembered all the time they spent together as children, playing in these exact fields. He thought to himself that he never would have imagined that she would have grown up to be such a beautiful and intelligent dragon.

The same thought raced through her mind as well as she recalled what good times they both had as children. She admired what an honorable dragon he had turned out to be.

Something just felt right between the two as they layed in the grass. The sun was now lighting up the sky with orange color as they laid there. What happened next wasn't a move based on logic or reason, not an action that was thought based, but an action made purely in the moment.

The two of them started to move their heads closer to each other. They rolled onto their sides facing one another until their lips met in a deep kiss. Both Cyclone and Aurora closed their eyes as they kissed, tuning out all the other sounds in the world except the sounds coming from themselves. The sunlight seemed to be painting the sky and land with orange. Aurora's red scales and Cyclones blue scales seemed to be turning the same color as they drew closer into the kiss.

Cyclone wrapped one wing around her and pulled her closer to his chest as she snuggled up close to his chest, feeling the warmth from his body heat. She felt so warm and safe under his wing and she enjoyed the kiss for as long as it lasted until they both pulled away from each other.

They both realized that they were breaking the rules of the council in that moment as they looked at each other. Their hearts started to race with nervousness as they didn't know what to do. This was wrong but at the same time it felt right.

"What are we doing?" they both said the same time. with an unsure tone in their voice.

To be continued in part 2...


	3. Chapter 3: In the Valley

The two dragons could do nothing more at the moment but stare at each other. How could something be so wrong and right at the same time? As the moment continued on the two of them both started reevaluating their priorities in their head as they tried desperately to justify such a wrongful act.

Cyclone quickly turned his head away and sat up straight, removing his wing from her. "I'm sorry Aurora. I don't know what came over me...maybe it was just a stressful day or a heat of the moment act."

"No no no." Aurora said sitting up beside him. "It's not your fault, Cyclone. I was feeling the same heat of the moment emotion. You don't have to apologize for anything... though I think It's probably best that we both go home tonight before anything else happens." She said with a bit of sadness in her voice, knowing it would be impossible for them to be together like this while also being on the council.

Aurora started to stand up and turn in the opposite direction, still unsure of the thoughts in her head. It was almost as if being with him filled an unknown void in her heart that had been there for ages but she was never able to identify it. She closed her eyes and took a deep sigh as she slowly started to depart.

Cyclone looked down to the ground as well. In his heart he was feeling the same empty void as her. His entire life was nothing but goals and high achievement. He had climbed his way up the ranks from master hunter to master warrior and finally to a councilman. Though all this time there seemed to be something missing, a final piece of the puzzle that would make his life whole. So much uncertainty clouded his mind but he finally came to a decision that could probably satisfy the hole in both of their hearts.

"Aurora." Cyclone spoke quickly, reaching out his wing to touch her tail before she got too far.

Aurora turned and faced him. The two dragons both sat down in front of each other for a moment. By now the Sunset was starting to dim, but it still lit up the valley they were in with a bright orange color.

"We'll keep it a secret. No one has to know but us." Cyclone spoke with much sincerity and passion in his voice. "We don't have to be romantically involved, we won't let it come to that. It will just be for fun. It's not like we're in love or anything, we just feel a bit of attraction. Whats the harm?"

Aurora bit her lip as she looked behind her back towards camp and then back to him. "You really think we could pull this off?" She said, already a tiny spark started to flicker in her heart as she had never been a rulebreaker in her life before.

"I'm game if you are." Said Cyclone as he hastily awaited her answer.

Slowly a grin started to form on Aurora's face as she started to look back up to him. She knew it was wrong, but for once she was going to go through with a tough decision. "Let's do it." She said with an excited voice and a bit of a giggle.

A smile immediately lit up Cyclone's face as he was delighted to hear her answer. Almost immediately he tackled her to the ground and the two dragons once again met in a hard kiss. The both of them started to laugh happily as they simply enjoyed each other for the moment.

They stayed intertwined for quite some time until they had to pull back from the kiss for a breath of air. Aurora giggled and looked up to him, placing her two front feet on his chest as he remained on top of her, gently letting her wings fall to the grass. "This feels so wrong!" She said with another laugh as she continued to look at him.

"Thats what makes it so fun." He said with a very smug look on his face as he too started to laugh.

Once more the two dragons lunged at each other, holding on tight with their claws and wings as their tails started to intertwine. They started to roll down the slope a bit until they came to a stop, remaining in a kiss the whole time. Though now she was on top of him.

She placed her feet on his chest and pushed his wings to the grass. "Looks like I gotcha..." She said with a chuckle and a perk of her eyebrows as she give a quick little kiss on the tip of his nose. She admired the mysterious yet incredibly handsome look on his face as he looked back up to her.

He tilted his head and perked a single eyebrow as he looked up to her. "I'm okay with that." He said cockily.

She loved his wittiness and all his clever remarks. It made her smile and laugh as she always found his words amusing. She lowered her head once more into a kiss with him.

The two dragons enjoyed the rest of the sunset until all the light was gone, leaving nothing but darkness. Occasional chuckles and laughs could be heard in the darkness though no one was around to hear. It was just the two of them enjoying themselves all alone, and that is exactly how they wanted it.

For now all was right in the world, and the two dragons had the best night of their lives.


	4. Chapter 4: Something is Missing

The next day, council deliberations started as usual. For the other councilors it was just your average day with typical petty issues to discuss regarding the clan. However both Aurora and Cyclone were hardly paying attention to what was going on. Despite being present at the council, they were heavily distracted thinking about each others bodies as they recalled the relaxing night they spent in the Valley.

Aurora looked to the ground with an excited smile on her face. She felt light as air, and without a care in the world. Even though she was on the council now, the only thing on her mind right now was waiting until the council meeting was over so she could meet up with Cyclone in the valley once more. Though as she thought him about she kept hearing a buzzing noise in her head that was distracting her, almost as if someone was calling her name.

"Councilwoman!" Said High Dragon Tempest with a loud voice to get her attention as he had been calling on her for quite some time.

Aurora looked up to him nervously and nodded. "Yes, Highdragon?"

Tempest tilted his head at her. "How do you vote?"

Aurora bit her lip as she realized she wasn't paying attention to what was going on. She didn't want to reveal that she wasn't paying attention so she just spoke the first words to come to her lips.

"I abstain from the vote." She said hastily.

The High Dragon raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Abstain? It's just a vote on changing our food supply... you're really that conflicted?"

Aurora nodded. "I just think we need to give this decision some more thought."

The other councilors looked at her, all except Cyclone who was daydreaming as well, not paying attention whatsoever.

High Dragon Tempest looked over to Cyclone. "Councilman, how do you vote?"

Cyclone was caught up in the same moment of confusion. He quickly spurted out "I abstain."

"You have got to be kidding me." Said Councilman Typhoon. "It's just food, it's not like we're voting on going to war. What is happening to you two?"

"Bite your tongue." snapped Councilwoman Eclipse. "Just because the vote on your idea isn't going your way doesn't give you the right to lash out at the council.

"There is no vote! Everyone is abstaining!" He snapped back

Tempest pounded his foot on the high rock. "That's enough. We're not here to question each others way of thinking. We'll sleep on it, come back tomorrow, and deliver a final vote. This council is adjourned." He said, dismissing them all.

As the councilors dispersed Tempest approached both Cyclone and Aurora as they were leaving. "Are you two alright? You seem troubled today." He said looking at the two of them.

Cyclone quickly turned to face Tempest. "I'm not feeling too well today I think I might be getting sick."

Aurora nodded in agreement. "I think I caught whatever he had. I'm going to go rest for a bit in my cave."

Tempest shrugged and nodded. "Very well. I hope the two of you feel better." he said as he backed down.

Both Aurora and Cyclone winked at each other cleverly as they shuffled their wings and took flight, taking off in opposite directions as to not give away that they were going to the same place together. After a couple minutes, they both circled around the mountain and met together in the valley.

They both circled around in the sky before taking a dive to the land below. Once they landed Cyclone quickly charged her and they tumbled a bit down the hill until at last Cyclone was once again on top of her. They both laughed the whole way.

"You know..." Cyclone said as he looked down at her with a sly grin. "You're quickly becoming a real problem for me."

Aurora huffed with a smile. "How do you figure?"

"You're always on my mind... it's very difficult for me to focus on the council." He said placing one wing around the side of her head as they bantered back and forth playfully.

She fluttered her wings a bit as his charming nature naturally sent pleasing vibes throughout her body. "I've never known you to be the distracted type. Always so serious...always thinking about work." She said slowly sliding a claw over his chest area.

"It certainly is interesting how a pretty face can rearrange certain priorities." He said lowering closer to her as the tips of their noses touched for a brief period of time.

"So whats your priority now?" She inquired as she enjoyed bantering back and forth with him.

"Making the night enjoyable for the both of us." He responded, giving her a kiss on the lips.

Aurora kissed back, both dragons offering a bit of tongue this time as she placed one wing around his back. "Give it your best shot then, councilor."

"I'm game if you are." He replied with a charming smile.

The two dragons embraced once more into a hug and a kiss. It seemed like only a few seconds had passed but in actuality, they were enjoying the kissing, hugging, and playing around, for more than a few hours. Once again the sunset beautifully lit up the valley as they rolled about, giggling and laughing while enjoying each others company. They occasionally broke away from the kiss to play as they chased each other around the valley and in the sky as they flew together. They had gotten off the council early so they had plenty of spare time to do whatever they wanted.

Until at last the sun finally disappeared from the sky, leaving the sky dark, with only the light of the half moon and stars for vision. Once again the two dragons realized their time was up.

Aurora gave him one last kiss on the lips as they parted. "Thanks again for the great night, Cyclone." She said with a calming voice as she smiled at him.

He let a deep satisfied sigh as he recalled every second they spent together. "And to you, Aurora." He said pushing back into their last kiss as Aurora finally spread her wings and began to fly off, back to her own cave.

Though as she left, Cyclone started to feel somewhat sad for some reason. Just her leaving made him feel a little sick on the inside as he wished he could have spent even more time with her.

Cyclone too took flight in the opposite direction heading towards his own cave. As he flew through the night sky, the light of the stars lit up his blue scales. He was deep in thought as he flew high in the sky. Something didn't feel right. It seemed like whenever she departed, it made him feel incomplete.

He let out a deep sigh and muttered to himself. "I just need to get some rest." He said as he finally landed at his cave, high up on the mountain. He laid down on his belly, but his head still looked up to the sky as he laid down on the edge of his lair, wondering what it was that was troubling him.

He closed his eyes and took another deep sigh. When he opened his eyes again to see the stars, something caught his eye as the white light beamed down on him from above. He could see Aurora's face in a constellation of the stars, almost as if it was her beaming down on him. He reached out a wing to the sky above until it looked like his wing was touching her cheek.

His wing gently dropped to the ground after a while and he curled up into a ball in order to get some sleep, though sleep did not come easy to him. He let out one more soft sigh before closing his eyes to sleep, wishing with all his heart that Aurora was laying beside him.


	5. Chapter 5: The Confession

It had been about a week now since the two Dragons had begun their affair. Slowly they started to feel more of a connection to each other but every time they felt something in their heart they were quick to shrug it off.

Aurora awoke in her cave high up on the mountain top. She uncurled and stretched out her legs before walking slowly over to the cliff at the door of her cave. Her eyes were still squinted as she let out a drawn-out yawn. She smiled as she thought of all the good times her and Cyclone had enjoyed over the past few days. She slowly drew out her wings and glided down the mountainside to the waterfall in the valley for a bath.

She stepped into the pure clean water and let the waterfall cascade down onto her shoulders and run down her back and chest. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she took in all the wonderful sounds of nature.

As the water started to wash off all the dirt and grass on her body, her bright red scales started to show more colorfully. She dipped her head under the water and washed her face. Though as she pulled her head out from the water something caught her eye. As the waterfall cascaded on her body she couldn't help but notice Cyclones reflection in the water for but a brief moment. She looked around expecting to see him but she didn't. She looked back to the water and saw only her reflection. She tilted her head for a moment in deep thought but quickly shrugged it off.

She swept her wings underneath the water once to clean them and then stepped out from under the cascading water. Once she was on dry land she quickly shook off the most water she could and let the rest of it dry on its on. Rather than fly back to camp she walked on foot across the valley, taking in the beautiful morning. After a while she couldn't help but notice Cyclone high up in the sky. She smiled as she remembered he would always go for a high-flying exercise every morning to keep his body into shape. She sat down and watched him dive and twist and barrel-roll in the air until Cyclone eventually spotted her and dove down to her. He landed right in front of her with a smile as she smiled back at him.

"Impressive wingwork." She said admiring his morning exercise.

He nodded. "Thank you, Aurora. You're looking rather colorful today." He said noticing how shiny her red hide was.

She looked down to her body that was still dripping wet and then back up to him. "Yeah I just got done with my bath, and I'm ready to head back to camp." She said walking along the path back to camp. He walked with her right by her side.

"So what sounds like fun today?" Inquired Cyclone.

"Well I hate to bring the bad news, but the nursery keeper is feeling sick so I promised Highdragon that I would watched over the children today." She said with a tilt of her head. "Sorry."

Cyclone shook his head. "No need to be sorry, that's very honorable of you to step in like that." He said reassuring her.

A smile started to form on Aurora's face once more. "Why don't you come with me?"

He pondered for a minute, thinking he had nothing better to do for the day. "Sure. That might switch things up a bit, let's do it!"

She fluttered his wings excitedly. "Oh I can't wait for you to meet the children!" She said happily. "Let's not keep them waiting."

He nodded. "After you." The two dragons flew into the air and upwards a bit towards the nursery. They landed a bit outside of it as Aurora quickly walked up to the den with an excited look on her face.

"Kids!" She said with a happy voice as the whelplings in the nursery quickly looked to her and started to rush toward her.

"Aurora!" Said all of the whelps at once as they started to swarm her. Aurora rolled over onto her back and stretched out her wings. All the baby dragons jumped on her chest and started giggling as did Aurora. She laughed as they all jumped on her happily. She quickly wrapped her wings around all of them and hugged them close to her chest with a happy laugh.

"My goodness you all have grown so much!" She said as all the whelps and hatchlings looked up to her while she hugged them. "I have a special guest with me today." She said poking one curious whelpling on the tip of his nose.

"I'd like you all to meet Councilman Cyclone, a close friend of mine. Go say hello!" She said watching as the whelplings all gathered in front of him with tilted heads and cute faces. They had always been used to a female dragon watching over them, but it was rare for them to see a big, tall, and proud male like Cyclone. They all just tilted their heads at him with awe and wonder until the eventually bowed to him as they were taught to do.

Cyclone smiled at all of them as they bowed their heads respectfully. Cyclone seemed impressed that the little ones had such respect and courtesy, as he recalled being a troublemaker when he was a whelp.

"Before we get started with the day's lessons" Said Aurora. "Who wants to have a bit of fun first?" She said giggling as the whelps turned and faced her and started jumping up and about as they rapidly started shouting "Me! Me! Me!"

Cyclone looked up to Aurora. "Wow they really like you. I'm guessing this isn't your first time being here?" He said with a smile.

As she laughed with the children she looked up to Cyclone. "Oh of course not. I love young ones so much! I can't keep away from them all." She admitted before looking down to the all the whelps as they looked up to her.

"Do you think you can take Councilman Cyclone down if you tried hard enough?" She inquired playfully as Cyclone perked an eyebrow, already thinking of fun ways they could do this.

The whelps nodded. "Yes Yes Yes! We can do it!" They said looking back to Cyclone as he got into a stance, ready to move if they tried to pounce on him. "Show me what you've got!" Said Cyclone playfully.

The whelps quickly rushed toward him and he darted to the left, taking flight for a moment as did the other whelps and Aurora. Cyclone toned down his speed considerably so they could catch up to him somewhat. Aurora followed closely behind, enjoying the sight of him playing with the children. They enjoyed the fun exercise for many hours, with both Cyclone and the Whelps taking turns chasing each other.

One whelp managed to catch up to Cyclone and nibble on his wing. Cyclone looked over to see the Whelp gnawing on his wing and he pretended like it was destabilizing him. "Oh no!" He said as he slowly started to descend until at last he fell at the center of the nursery, laying on his back. Almost immediately the whelps swarmed him and started to jump on him as he pretended to be defeated.

"I can't get up! I surrender!" Said Cyclone as he played along. Aurora giggled at him, covering her face with the tip of her wing.

The Whelps looked back to Aurora happily. "We got him! We got him!" They chanted as Aurora lowered her head to the ground.

"Yes you did! Very well done!" She said as the Whelps gathered around her. "Lets give the Councilman a little time to recover." She said as she sat down in front of them.

"Alright, let's practice our lightning breaths." She said as it was time to get down to lessons. "Remember what I said about what makes a good warrior?" She tested them.

One female whelp raised her wing to answer. Aurora pointed to her. "Yes, Lily?" She said.

"A good warrior is never short of breath." Said Lily with an adorable little voice that lit up the faces of both Aurora and Cyclone as he watched from afar.

Aurora patted her on the head. "Very good! Now everyone show me your breath!" She said raising her own head toward the sky and letting off a very weak display of Lightning breath, which she toned down considerably so the Whelps wouldn't feel intimidated by her power.

The whelps all raised their heads to the sky and breathed their own lightning breath for as long as they could. All but one whelp couldn't do it. Aurora looked down to the one child who couldn't seem to channel any power into his breath.

"Pebble?" Said Aurora as she looked at the young baby dragon. Once he realized he couldn't do it, he started to cry, tears filling up in his eyes.

Gently Aurora picked up the baby dragon in her arms and held him close to her chest. "Shh shh shh... hey..." She said gently as she used the tip of her wing to wipe away a tear on his cheek.

"Don't give up little Pebble. You're my little champion." She said with a calm and comforting voice as the little dragon looked up to her. "You don't feel the storm in here." She said pointing to his head. "You feel it in here." She said placing her wing over his little heart.

"Feel it in your heart, little one. Don't ever give up on anything. Stretch out your wings, feel it in your heart, not your mind, and just..." She tilted his head up to the sky with her wing. "Breathe..." She said calmly.

The little dragon let out one final breath. He tried to not think about it so much, but instead believed in his heart that he could do it. Sure enough as he breathed, crackling storm came out from his mouth. Pebble smiled and looked up to her. "I did it!" He said with a cute voice.

Aurora giggled, very proud of him. "Yes you did. You just have to believe." She said giving him a kiss on his forehead before setting him down on the ground.

Cyclone observed the whole event unfold. He was taken away by how calm, understanding, loving, and tender Aurora was. She was such a kind Dragon, it warmed his heart to see her show such sympathy for a baby that wasn't even her own.

Many more hours flew by as the two dragons and the whelps played, with occasional lessons throughout each playing session until at last it started to get late.

"It's getting late. Time for bed." Said Aurora as she guided them all back to the center of the nursery where Cyclone was lying.

Aurora smiled at him as Cyclone stared at her. She laid down beside him on her back as the whelps gathered on her chest. Aurora wrapped her right wing around them and Cyclone wrapped his left wing around them. The whelps started to look at the both of them with curious eyes.

Aurora started to sing them a lullaby, which immediately caught the attention of Cyclone as he turned his head to see her singing to the whelps. "Hush little angels, don't you cry... close your eyes and dream well tonight."

As she continued with her song Cyclone was enchanted by her singing voice. He smiled brightly and warmly as he simply rested his head on the ground and looked at her as she continued to sing.

Slowly all the whelps started to get sleepy and closed their eyes as she continued to sing to them. Until at last only one whelpling was left awake. Aurora looked at him as she finished her song and he started to fall asleep as well. "Sleep soundly...for me..." She finished and gave him a kiss on the forehead as he fell asleep on her chest.

Aurora looked over to Cyclone. "Oh my gosh, Cyclone, they're so adorable my heart is just melting." Sher said hugging them close to her chest.

He smiled and nodded. "They sure are. Such curious, small, and cute little faces. I wish them only the best of dreams and the happiest of lives." He said hugging them also.

"Awwww..." Said Aurora softly. As the night started to fall, she swept up all the whelplings in her wings very very gently and set them on the ground without disturbing them. "We should let them rest." Said Aurora as she started to stand up as did Cyclone.

They backed away from the nursery and started to head back to Aurora's cave.

"I'll walk you home." Said Cyclone.

She smiled and nodded. "I'd like that." She said walking closer to him, feeling more and more attached to him as the days went by.

Once they reached her cave at the mountain top they walked into her cave. Already the moonlight was beaming down on the two of them just like it had back in Cyclones cave a week ago.

Aurora placed a foot on his chest and got her head closer to his. "We still have enough time for a little fun." She said with a giggle as he too looked down at her with a smile.

They both went to the edge of her cave at the cliff and laid down on their bellies beside each other, looking up to the moon.

"Its beautiful." said Aurora as the moonlight lit the both of them up with shimmering white light. Cyclone looked at it as well.

"It sure is." he said calmly as the two dragons looked at each other. They both slowly moved towards each other into a soft kiss as they closed their eyes. Though after a while Cyclone quickly pulled away and looked the opposite direction.

Aurora tilted her head at him. "Cyclone? Whats wrong?" She said worried about him.

Cyclone got up and was now sitting down at the edge of the cliff looking down below. Aurora stood up and sat beside him as well trying to figure out what was wrong with him. He wasn't answering.

"Cyclone, whatever is wrong you can tell me. I'm here for you." She said as she tried to get him to look at her.

He refused for a while but he eventually looked over to her with a distraught face.

She noticed he looked at her and started to frown. "What is it?" She inquired once more.

He took a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them once more to look deep into hers.

"Aurora I'm in love with you." He said very calmly.

Almost Immediately Aurora's heart started to beat rapidly as she didn't know what to do, but she had a fear this day would come eventually. Already she could feel a chill running down her spine as she didn't know what to say. Her mouth was open to say something but she couldn't.

"Maybe I was a fool for thinking we could keep this going without anything ever coming of it. I tried my hardest, but perhaps it was just fate. I've known you for so long, and you're just perfect in every way. Your beauty...your personality...your nature. I love everything about you and there isn't a single thing I would change. I've never met anyone like you before and I never will. I thought I knew what I wanted since I was kid... power, glory, greatness... but now all I want is you."

Already tears were starting form in Aurora's eyes, but she was doing everything in her power to hold them back.

"I'm willing to give up everything for you. My seat on the council, the respect of my peers, my power...all for you. If you'll have me, I'm willing to give up my entire life just to be with you." He said placing his wings on her shoulder hoping for a reaction from her.

She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They slipped past her and started to roll down her cheeks. This was always her worst fear, to have to make a decision like this. She wasn't sure what she wanted. Her entire life since she was a kid, her dream was to be on the council. Her mind told her that this was a bad idea, but her heart told her that he was the one for her. Being so conflicted on the inside, she had no choice but to go with her logic, which had gotten her this far in life.

"I..." She stuttered as more tears rolled down her face. "I can't..." She said taking her wings and gently pushing his wings off of her.

Tears started to form up in Cyclones eyes as well which he couldn't hold back either. "So it's over then..." He said choked up.

She started to cry even more. "I'm so sorry." She said sadly.

He nodded and spread out his wings to take flight, looking back at her one more time. "I'm sorry too." He said taking flight into the uncertain night sky. Aurora watched him fly away, his scales glittering in the moonlight until the shroud of night made him disappear from Aurora's sight.

She quickly curled up into a ball and started to sob uncontrollably, not sure if she made the right choice or not. "I'm so sorry..." she whimpered to herself through the tears.

She laid alone as the light started to dim from her cave, leaving her in darkness. As the darkness enveloped her, she cried herself to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: A Tale of Aurora (Part 1)

Aurora tossed and turned during her sleep, distraught over what had happened to her last night. She began to dream of what her life would have been like had she have chosen to be with him rather than the life she did choose.

In her cave she laid side by side with Cyclone, the two of them cuddled close to each other. The two Dragons rubbed their foreheads against each other lovingly with a warm smile and satisfied sigh of content. In Between them was a handful of sleeping baby dragons in Aurora's arms who cuddled close to their mother's chest for warmth. Both Aurora and Cyclone looked down at their beautiful offspring and then back to each other before slowly moving towards each other for a loving kiss.

Though before their lips could reach each other it seemed like the distance between them was growing. Slowly, Cyclone and their children started to fade away as Aurora tried to hold on to them but she couldn't. She started to grow more distressed they farther they got until they disappeared.

"Don't go..." She whimpered as the vision of Cyclone and her children completely faded away into the nothingness.

Suddenly Aurora's eyes opened as she awoke. She quickly looked around the cave and noticed that she was all alone, and It had all been a dream. She looked down to her arms, expecting to see a handful of children but there was nothing there. She closed her eyes and took a deep sigh.

"That's not the life for me..." She thought to herself quietly as she tried to focus more on what mattered.

She stood up and walked to the edge of her cave, that overlooked a cliff. She tried to focus and assure herself that she had made the right decision.

"My life is dedicated to my clan. I won't lose sight again." She said to herself once more trying to muster up her courage.

She knew that it was almost time for the council to convene but she had a few moments to spare. She exited her cave and gently began to glide down to the main camp area below.

Once she had arrived she looked around, seeing all the fighters training, all the hunters stockpiling their food, all the whelplings getting ready to head to the nursery as their parents began to start their busy day.

Aurora took a stroll through the camp grounds, occasionally say hello to all those who recognized who she was. Though as she neared the nursery, something managed to catch her eye. She saw two dragons, a couple, with one whelpling walking between them as they approached the nursery. The two dragons lowered their head down to their child to say goodbye. Aurora could overhear them.

"Have a wonderful day today, darling." Said the Father as he gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and a hug.

The Mother also gave her baby a kiss on the forehead and a hug as well. "You're going to be a good girl today right?" She inquired, tilting her head.

The whelpling nodded her head with a happy smile. "Yes Momma!" she said enthusiastically.

The Mother smiled and give her one more hug before sending her off to the nursery for the day. As their child departed, the mother and father gave each other a loving kiss and a nuzzle as they said goodbye to each other as well.

"Love you." They both said as they prepared to take flight and begin their busy day of work.

From afar, Aurora's heart started to break a little as it felt like to her the universe was trying its hardest to make her feel bad. Once again she closed her eyes and shook her head, shrugging the feeling off and reassuring herself.

She held her head high as she marched towards the Throne of the High Dragons, trying her best to shrug off her conflicting emotions.

Once she arrived at the Throne she looked around at all the councilors, but once she noticed Cyclone, she quickly looked down at the ground to her feet, trying to avoid eye contact. She quickly walked over to her seat next to Councilwoman Eclipse as the council awaited for the High Dragon to arrive.

"Everything alright?" Said Councilwoman Eclipse as she looked over to Aurora, seeing that she seemed distraught somehow.

Aurora looked up to her after a moment. "Huh? Oh! Yes of course!" She said putting on a very convincing smile and adding a bit of positive body language as she stretched her wings and prepared for the meeting.

Eclipse tilted her head at Aurora confusingly. Being an older Dragon, she had learned to study and read emotions more carefully and she sensed Aurora wasn't herself. Aurora had always been like a daughter to her. She remembered when Aurora used to come to her as a young one, always wanting to hear stories of what the council was like.

"If you ever need to talk, Aurora, I'm here for you." She said giving Aurora a wing nudge as Aurora was once again looking down at the ground. "Us girls have to stick together. There are far too many boys around here to distract us." said Eclipse trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

Aurora smiled and looked back up to her. "I suppose so. Maybe we can talk after work, I do have a thing or two on my mind." She said bowing to Eclipse, still respecting her even to this day, knowing she always had someone to go to in her darkest hours.

Eclipse nodded. "Certainly." She said bowing as well.

Aurora darted her eyes over to her left, seeing all the male councilors talking amongst each other. She looked at Cyclone and despite her efforts to try and shut out all her feelings, she couldn't help but wonder what life with him would have been like if she had said yes to him.

Suddenly everyone heard a loud beating of wings as the High Dragon, Tempest, approached the Throne appearing serious.

Councilwoman Eclipse looked up to the High Dragon and noticed his usual warm smile and comforting nature was not present this morning. "Everything alright, High Dragon?" She inquired.

Tempest looked down to her as he took his seat. "I'm afraid not." He said looking to the other councilors as they took their seat.

"I'm sorry to bring such Dire news to you all, but we have trouble brewing." He said with a grim voice. "As you all know, Nithogg, our bitter rival to the north, has always been a very arrogant, vile, and corrupt High Dragon. After many years of agreed upon peace, he has once again provoked my wrath." He said angrily.

The other councilors looked up to him, feeling a sense of worry as they had a feeling where this might be going.

"One of our young hunters went too far and ended up crossing into the territory of Nithogg and his clan. Instead of capturing the hunter and waiting for us to retrieve him, a courtesy which we have shown his hunters countless times, Nithogg decided to execute the young dragon, claiming responsbility for the death. The hunters parents came to me in tears, demanding justice. We need to discuss a course of action to respond to this brutal and unnecessary show of violence." Bellowed Tempest.

Cyclone was quick to respond. "We need to strike back at them." He said quickly. "I used to know the dragon who was killed. I trained him for a time during my years as the warrior leader. He would never intentionally stir up trouble or do anything to provoke a death sentence. The loss is unacceptable."

Aurora spoke up. "How do we know the dragon is dead? Was his body discovered?" She inquired.

The rest of the council looked to her as Cyclone responded. "They claimed responsibility for his death. What else do you need to know? We need to strike at them fast before they get the notion that we're pushovers and decide to test just how far they can push us."

Aurora scoffed. "You would so brashly order an attack on a clan when we don't even have any proof? You'll have to forgive me but I'm not really much of a fan of going to war and risking the lives of our clan when this could quite possibly be a misunderstanding."

Councilwoman Eclipse spoke up. "She brings up an interesting point. Why would they not return the body to us? They're not cannibals, they wouldn't eat him, nor would they have any other use to keep his body."

"Who cares?" Snapped Councilman Typhoon. "This isn't a debate about what could be, they already said they did it!" He yelled.

Cyclone nodded in agreement. "If they didn't admit responsibility this would be another story but they did. They're clearly asking for a fight, and if we don't give them one then they're just going to step all over us. I call for a vote."

High Dragon nodded. "A vote has been called. All of those in favor of counter-striking Nithogg's clan, say aye, All those against say no."

The vote was split right down the middle into a dead tie.

"Very well." Said Tempest. "In the event that the council is tied, the High Dragon will be the deciding vote on how the issue swings. So I shall settle this by voting in favor of-"

"I call for the recusal of Cyclone!" Said Aurora loudly, interrupting the High Dragon and drawing the attention of the council.

Cyclone looked at her with an angry gaze. "What?" He said loudly. "What for?"

Tempest looked to Aurora. "You call for a recusal? On what grounds?" He said tilting his head as councilors usually never went for such bold courses of action.

"Cyclone has admitted to having been personally connected to the hunter in question. His vote and judgment are biased in favor of seeking retribution, and therefore his neutrality is in question. So Yes, I call for a recusal." Said Aurora.

HIgh Dragon thought for a moment and realized what she had said made sense. "You have a point, Councilwoman." He said looking over to Cyclone. "I'm sorry Councilman, but the request for recusal is granted. Tomorrow I will take over your role and vote in your stead. For now we will adjourn and hopefully find more information on the matter tomorrow that will allow us to reach a clear verdict." He said dismissing the council.

The council dispersed and departed and Aurora took flight back to her cave as she was feeling guilty about what she did to Cyclone. A sense of sadness overcame her while she flew through the air. Deep down inside she knew that this was for the best.

Once she arrived at her cave and started to walk in she could hear the beating of wings and she looked behind her to see Cyclone approaching. He quickly landed and started to slowly walk up to her.

"What the hell was that back there?" He demanded with a frustrated tone.

"Excuse me?" She snapped back at him turning around to face him.

"I've been on the council for a year now and not once has any councilor ever asked for a recusal. You could have called for a recess or adjournment until tomorrow, or asked permission for more time to investigate but you jumped straight for the attack!" He said angrily.

They both locked angry eyes with each other but she said nothing. Cyclone took another step forward. "Well? We've been friends forever, we're supposed to look out for each other. I can understand if we have a difference of opinion but this is starting to feel a little personal." He said expecting her to speak up.

Aurora snapped. She didn't know what came over her but it was just a heat of the moment reaction. "I'm not your friend anymore, Cyclone! Just because we used to be friends you think that I owe it to you to look out for you but you're wrong so let me give you a little piece of advice! From now on if you have any other critiques about my job performance you are more than welcome to keep it yourself, because I don't care! Now get the hell out of my cave!" She said with a raised voice.

When she made the remark about them no longer being friends he felt a crushing sadness in his heart. He knew that they couldn't be together romantically but he never thought she would take it this far just to push him away. He had a feeling that she would try to push him away after the rejection, but he never expected her to cut all ties with him completely.

He scoffed and put on a fake smile. "Right." He said turning around to exit her cave. "Nice talking to you." He remarked before spreading his wings and taking flight, flying off into the clouds.

After he left Aurora realized what she said and she felt a cold chill run up her spine. Her eyes started to fill up with tears and she collapsed to the ground covering her face with her wings as she laid all alone in her cave. She had burnt the bridge between the two of them and now all she had left was her job which she wasn't even sure made her happy anymore.


	7. Chapter 7: A Tale of Aurora (Part 2)

Aurora clenched her talons close to her chest and tried to once more keep all of her feeling that she wished she didn't have at the moment bottled up. She wanted to just lay down and cry but she also knew that she needed to be strong and pick herself up.

A flapping of wings could be heard outside the cave as someone approached Aurora's cave. Aurora quickly turned to the cave entrance to see who it was. It was Councilwoman Eclipse. She landed and start to slowly walk toward Aurora. Almost immediately Eclipse noticed the Aurora was crying but trying to hide it.

"Go Away..." Said Aurora as she wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

Eclipse took a couple more steps toward her, much to Aurora's protest.

"What are you doing! I said go away! I don't want to talk to anyone right now!" Said Aurora growing more distressed.

Eclipse finally walked right up next to Aurora and outstretched a comforting wing around her. Aurora was about to shout at her to go away once again but once Eclipse brought her wing around her she quickly buried her face in Eclipses shoulder and started to let her emotions flow out as Eclipse wrapped Aurora in a warm comforting hug.

"I'm not going to go away, Child." Said Eclipse with a warm comforting voice that was typical of her nature as a peace keeper and a caretaker. "I saw Cyclone leave your cave on my way up. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone, you can talk to me." She said gently giving Aurora a rub on the back.

For a moment Aurora experienced a flashback. She remembered the day of her third Birthday how she waited and waited for her parents to come home so they could play together as a family. She was just a young baby dragon and didn't know what was going on. She remembered Eclipse coming into her cave with a saddened look on her face.

"Your parents aren't going to be coming home tonight." Said Eclipse, breaking the sad news to the young Aurora as this was the day that both Aurora's father and mother had fallen in battle.

Ever since the sad day Eclipse had been a guiding mother-figure for Aurora, always giving her advice on how to stay true to herself, how to not let the darkness in, and to always pick herself up when she was down, problems that she was struggling with right now.

Eclipse remembered hugging the young baby Aurora as she cried on the night of her parents death, and now she hugged her yet, again.

In the present time Eclipse gently held Aurora close to her chest like she used too a long time ago. "What's the matter, child?" She inquired once more.

Aurora, feeling safe and protected by Eclipse, finally felt comfortable telling someone what had really been going on.

"Cyclone told me that he loved me...For a time we enjoyed a little rebellion by being involved outside the council but we let it get too far and he had to confess his feelings to me."

Aurora took a deep sigh as just thinking about all these memories was painful for her. "I pushed him away...I told him that my job was more important to me than him... I snapped at him and told him that I didn't want to be his friend anymore, that I didn't want to see him anymore or hear from him... then he just flew off."

Eclipse nodded in affirmation as she had always known that Cyclone and Aurora were growing closer and closer together. She suspected it even though the other councilors had no clue. Having raised Aurora herself she knew how to tell the difference in Aurora's changes of mood.

"Do you want to be with him?" Inquired Eclipse.

Aurora looked up for the first time in a while, a few tears still lingering on her cheek. "I don't know..." She said seeming confused like she had never been before. "All my life I wanted to be like you. You were the only female councilor on the Throne in our clans history and you inspired me to want to be just like you."

Aurora looked down to the ground and slowly started to walk away towards the edge of her cave. Both Eclipse and Aurora sat down next to each other at the cliff overlooking Aurora's cave.

"I've lived my entire life thinking there was a clear set path for me... I thought I was destined to be on the council...destined for greatness. I never thought I would have to make a choice like this." Said Aurora with a hushed sad voice.

"No path is clear." Said Eclipse, looking up to the full moon in the sky. "All of us think we know what we want until we realize that what we actually want has been hiding right under our nose the whole time."

Eclipse looked over to Aurora and for a moment the two of them locked eyes. "People use the word 'Love' too much in my opinion. Like when someone says 'I love this meal' or 'I love the weather today'. To me, love means something more. When you truly love something or someone you hold that love close to your heart, stick up for it, fight for it...and if necessary die for it. I love my job on the council. I love the fact that I can bring justice, wisdom, and harmony to the clan through my actions."

"So what are you trying to tell me?" Inquired Aurora, her face already clearing up from the sadness as the two of them talked about life.

"I'm trying to tell you that if you spend your whole life trying to model yourself after me, you're not going to be happy." Said Eclipse.

Aurora tilted her head as she looked up to her. "Why? You're like a legend in our clan. Everyone wishes they could live a life like yours."

"You might find this hard to believe, but I had to make a lot of hard choices to get here. I fell in love once...the Dragon told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me as my mate. I debated going with him, but if I was to be with him and start a family, I would have to give up my seat on the council."

For a moment Aurora started to feel nervous as she was at the same crossroads Eclipse used to be at.

"I loved my job and I loved him the same... I loved them both equally so the decision was exceptionally hard for me. I choose to go with my job...call it a fifty fifty scenario if you will." She said looking back up to the moon, thinking of the dragon who would have been her mate.

"Every night I wonder to myself what my life would have been like had I said yes to him, but at the end of the day It all came down to that fifty fifty choice... and I went with my gut..." Said Eclipse softly.

Eclipse quickly turned to Aurora and gently placed her wings on her shoulder. Aurora looked up to her once more.

"Aurora, you have a choice...your job, or your life with Cyclone. For me the choice was fifty fifty, but if you love one more than the other, then grasp at it quickly and never let it go... If you cherish one more than the other, take it before you lose both. Don't end up living a life of uncertainty as I have... don't go with your gut or your mind...go with your heart." Said Eclipse placing a wing over Aurora's heart.

for a moment Aurora looked down to the ground and thought about all her life choices. Every decision she had made regarding Cyclone had been made with logic and reasoning... but she never made any choices with her heart before.

"I've always gone with the choice that makes the most sense... the choice that has the more logic to it." Responded Aurora.

"Don't..." Said Eclipse taking her wings off of her. "You'll never be able to figure out your life with logic. when next you are at a crossroads, follow your heart, Aurora."

For a moment the Darkness in Aurora's heart started to fade as she soaked in Eclipse's wisdom.

"That is a choice for the future." Said Eclipse. "Right now your clan needs you. We need a united council to face the threat of Nithogg. We can't afford to be dividing ourselves with accusations and requests for recusals. We want to stick together. We need to stick together." Said Eclipse confidently.

"You're right." Said Aurora, feeling the sadness fade as she started to think about the well-being of her clan. She realized it was selfish to think about only herself and her own problems when the clan was under threat. "The clan meeting is tomorrow and we need to find out the truth." She said standing up.

Eclipse nodded. "Be safe, Aurora." she said standing up and giving Aurora one final hug. "You've made me so proud. I know you'll find what you're looking for."

Aurora smiled and hugged her back. "Thanks for everything Eclipse." She said nodding to her respectfully before taking flight and flying down the mountain slowly.

After a few minutes Aurora arrived at the dividing line between the territory of Nithogg and Tempest. She knew deep down inside she needed to find out the truth of what was really going on behind Nithogg's schemes.

She decided to stay low to avoid being spotted in the air. She crossed the line and into Nithoggs territory. It was quite dark but she managed to find the place that all the other councilors were talking about, the place where the young hunter from Tempest's clan was supposedly abducted.

When she got there she looked around as best she could with the light of the moon being her only source of vision. Before she was a councilor she had been a hunter, and she knew exactly where to look to find her target.

It took a couple of minutes of searching but she managed to find a chunk of ground that seemed like it was all torn up. Grass was uprooted and there were claw marks in the dart, broken twigs from the nearby trees, and crushed plants.

"A fight? This looks like no sparring I've ever heard of..." She said looking over the patch of land thinking a violent struggle must have taken place here.

An ear perked as she heard chattering in the distance. Aurora quickly got low to the ground, laying on her belly so the tall grass would obscure her for the most part.

Two purple dragons of Nithogg were patrolling the land. She tried her best to crawl on the ground to get closer to them so she could hear what they were saying until she could finally pick up some words.

"No that one would be mine!" Said the taller dragon.

"I'm the patrol captain, I get to choose my cave before you do. I'm taking the one near the lake closest to the mountain."

Aurora tilted her head for a moment as she remembered there was no lake that bordered Nithogg's camp. Only Tempest's camp had a lake beside it.

"You can take whatever is closest to the valley." Said the tall dragon.

Almost immediately something clicked in Aurora's head, she knew they were talking about Tempest's camp, which was her home.

"Why are they talking about our camp?" She wondered to herself. "An invasion? A trade? Peaceful or Warmongering?" She thought to herself.

She quickly put her back to the tree as she perked her head around to see the patrol guard passing out of hearing distance. She moved closer, trying to stay low to the ground as she attempted to follow them silently. She took a few steps forward.

Suddenly she felt something tightening around her back left foot. She looked behind her to see what it was.

She had stepped in a human trap, most likely laid by the Vrykul. As she was being strung up, her head violently hit the ground with a loud smack as she was hoisted upside down.

Once it was over she was dangling upside down in the air, hanging by her foot. She quickly rubbed her head as she was starting to feel dizzy. She propped her head up as best she could to see a rope snare tied around her back left foot that had her hanging by the tree branch.

Her vision started to grow more dizzy. She tried to lean herself forward, attempting to cut the rope and free herself but before she could reach her foot, the dizziness became too much and she blacked out unconscious, going limp.

Her body swayed back and forth gently as she hung upside down, the tree branch occasionally creaking as the unconscious Aurora laid limp in the trap.


	8. Chapter 8: A Tale of Cyclone (Part 1)

Cyclone sat alone at the pond in the far eastern corner of the clans grounds. He took a deep sigh, realizing that despite what he wanted to believe, everything that had happened so far may have very well been his doing.

He sat up straight, looking down into the water at his own reflection, trying to evaluate all of his choices. The sounds of footsteps could be heard approaching from behind though it didn't seem to capture his attention until the voice started to speak.

"Cyclone?" Said the dragon behind him.

Almost immediately Cyclone closed his eyes and chuckled softly to himself, remembering the sound of the dragon's voice. "Thunder." He said turning his head around to see his old friend.

Thunder had for a long time been the leader of the hunters for the clan. Back before Cyclone joined the council, he had been the leader of the warriors, and occasionally the two groups would work together, with Cyclone being the head of the warriors having to constantly team up with Thunder.

"It's been a while, old friend." Said Thunder as he approached the pond where Cyclone was sitting. "Hopefully all the sitting and talking on the council hasn't dulled your previously honed skills, Hm?"

Cyclone started to chuckle, even though on the inside he was hurting deeply from his feelings over Aurora, though he managed to conceal them quite well. "You really believe that?" He said with a half-grin.

Thunder stretched his wings a bit. "It's been awhile since you or I have sparred, what do you say? For old times sake?" He said with a slightly arrogant grimace. "Or would you rather talk out our problems? I know that's a running theme on the council."

Cyclone huffed and stood up with a grin as he took his friends challenge on. "There you go, now you've done it. You'll eat those words and half the rocks in this pond."

"Prove it." Said Thunder as he readied himself with a combat stance.

Almost immediately Cyclone started to charge himself with magic. Most fighting styles are either purely magical, like Auroras, or strictly claw and tooth, like most warriors, though Cyclone prided himself in his ability to mix the two to his own benefit.

Cyclone clapped his wings together, sending a tremendous gust that shot out from underneath Thunder, shooting him into the air. With a gust of air at his back, Cyclone spiraled forward, head-butting Thunder in the chest as they soared through the air and they landed with Thunder on his back.

Almost immediately Thunder head-butted Cyclone before he could pin him, and kicked his back legs upwards to propel Cyclone off of him.

Cyclone landed on his feet and before he could regain his balance, Thunder assaulted him with a flurry of claw strikes. Cyclone deflected each of his blows, swiping away his talons before doing a swift full turn, attempting to strike Thunder in the face with his tail.

Thunder ducked the tail swipe and grabbed Thunder by the tail, chuckling confidently as he did so. He flipped Cyclone over and slammed him onto the ground to his left, picking him up and slamming him to the right before spinning around rapidly and tossing Cyclone into a tree.

Cyclone grunted as he was slammed and tossed about. Once he was thrown into the tree, the force was strong enough to break the tree in half and send him tumbling through the fallen leaves.

As Cyclone managed to dig his way out of the fallen debris, he felt something grasp him by the neck. He immediately was pulled out of the fallen leaves and tossed into the pond by Thunder. He landed with such a tremendous splash, almost half the water splashed out of the pond.

Cyclone took a deep breath and rubbed the top of his head as he laid in the pond. Only his head was sticking out of the water, the rest of him was submerged. He took one more deep sigh and lowered his head.

Thunder walked over to where Cyclone was lying and offered him a leg to pull him out of the pond. "What's wrong Cyclone?" He asked genuinely, sensing there was something off about him. He noticed Cyclone seemed distracted and troubled as evidence by his struggle during the fight.

Cyclone grasped Thunder leg and was pulled out of the lake where he began to dry. "Everythings fine Thunder." He said trying to brush off the subject.

"Evidently not. Usually before I kick your ass you put up a bit more of a fight." Remaked Thunder.

The two dragons laughed together jokingly for a moment before Thunder prodded him again.

"Come on, I know the council, convenes today. Why aren't you there? And why do you seem so upset?"

Cyclone sighed once more, knowing he could trust his friend. "I was kicked off the council for the current issue because I'm 'biased' or so they claime."

"Recused? By Who?" Thunder inquired.

Cyclone started to rub the back of his head as it was difficult for him to even think about Aurora at the moment. "Councilwoman Aurora."

Thunder's eyes widened at the thought of them quarrelling. "Wow. You two have been best friends since I've met you. What happened? Usually councillors refrain from recusing someone unless something more is going on behind the scenes."

Cyclone nodded silently, looking back into the water at his own reflection.

"I don't even see you two hanging out anymore, it's like you're avoiding each other. What happened, buddy?" Said Thunder prodding once more.

"I fell in love with her." He said silently but still loud enough for his friend to hear.

Almost immediately, Thunder was taken back. He always had the idea that they were friends and nothing more. Though he was always suspicious that they would grow closer from all the time they spent together. What was more surprising was that Cyclone would break the rules, as he had never been much of a rule breaker.

"Wow..." Said Thunder looking into the lake as well.

"She didn't feel the same way. Now it's too awkward for us to be even friends, so now it's just like we're strangers." Said Cyclone, his tone fading as he thought about it.

Cyclone sighed. "So much is on my mind right now I can't handle it. The clan could potentially go to war and I'm off the council unable to decide the fate of the dragons I swore to protect. But for some reason I just can't stop thinking about my own problems. Maybe I really am selfish." said Cyclone.

Thunder shook his head. "Love is a tricky emotion, my friend. You may think you're selfish for focusing on yourself rather than your clan, but you have to realize, a wounded warrior should never do battle. If you're going to fight, you need to be healthy first, and I think that principle applies here. You're wounded, and you need to heal." Said Thunder, giving Cyclone a comforting pat on the back.

"Do you believe in fate, Thunder?" Said Cyclone, turning his head to face Thunder, wondering if he was destined to not be with Aurora, and that everything that has happened so far was meant to be.

"No." Thunder replied.

"Why not?" said Cyclone.

"Because I don't like the idea that everything in life is outside of my control. When something happens, I don't shrug my shoulders and accept it, I shape things how I want them to be." Said Thunder.

"So what do I do?" Asked Cyclone.

"Simple. Don't give up." Responded Thunder.

"But she already told me she doesn't want to be with me. She told me we weren't friends anymore. How could I possibly salvage this when everything has already crashed and burned?"

"You put out the fire." Responded Thunder with a smile. "And then you rebuild."

Cyclone rubbed his chin and stared at Thunder. "So what are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm trying to tell you if you believe that Aurora is the one for you, don't give up on her. Not yet. That's the only advice I can give for you, don't give up." Said Thunder.

Cyclone looked back to his reflection in the water. He thought there was no way he could fix this mess, but now he was reconsidering.

"The question is, do you truly care for her? Are you sure she is definitely the right one for you?" Said Thunder.

Cyclone looked up to Thunder. "Yes." He said with much passion, as she was the only one he truly cared for anymore. "Even if I can't be with her."

Thunder tilted his head for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

Cyclone looked up to his friend and smiled. "Even if it doesn't work out and I can't be with her..." He said with pause in his sentence. "I just want her to be happy. Even if i'm not the right one for her, I want her to find someone who will give her all the love, care, and devotion that she deserves. And to me, that's what truly caring for someone is all about."

Thunder felt almost a bit sad himself, hearing how much Cyclone cared about Aurora. "She is the one for you." He said without a doubt. He patted Cyclone on the back one more time. "Don't give up on her yet. Fight for her." Said Thunder trying to encourage him.

Cyclone nodded, figuring that giving up and moping about was no longer an option. "You're right." Said Cyclone with a smile. "Even if our clan comes to blows with Nithogg's I will fight, for my clan, and for Aurora."

Thunder smirked, happy to see his friend lightening up. "Show me." He said standing up and resuming his combat position. "Show me that you fight for her."

Cyclone smirked aswell, taking up his friends challenge once more. He quickly took a step back and charged himself up before spiraling forward once more toward Thunder.

Thunder quickly caught Cyclone by the horns, trying to restrain him.

Cyclone swiftly charged his front foot with the power of the storm and sent a swift punch to Thunders chest, blasting him with a tremendous explosion.

Thunder soared through the air and crashed into the side of a nearby boulder. He looked up in amazement. He had never seen his friend so energized and renewed. He quickly readied himself for another strike.

Cyclone grinned and started to clap his wings together rapidly, sending a tremendous continuous gust toward Thunder, pinning him against the boulder.

Thunder tried to fight back and push against the intense wind, but he could not. The wind was too strong and kept him pinned against the rock.

Cyclone's throat glowed blue as he charged up his storm breath. With the last gust of wind Cyclone sent a non-lethal concussive ball of energy toward Thunder. When it struck, Thunder was sent back, breaking the boulder he was pinned against into a million pieces.

Thunder laid on the ground on his back, feeling dizzy for a moment until he looked up to see Cyclone standing above him. "What's gotten into you? I've never seen you so energetic before." Said Thunder.

"You gave me the most powerful weapon I needed." Said Cyclone. "Hope."

Cyclone reached down to offer his friend a leg to help him stand up. Thunder accepted his help and rubbed his head, still feeling dizzy from the blast.

"Tell you what we'll call it a draw." Said Thunder. The two friends chuckled to each other before giving each other a friendly head-butt which was normal amongst male dragons.

They heard a very loud flapping of wings in the distance that sounded like it was coming from a large dragon. The looked up to the sky to see High Dragon Tempest descending towards them quickly.

Once Tempest landed Cyclone and Thunder looked to each other before looking back at the High Dragon. They both bowed and Cyclone spoke up. "High Dragon. How did the council vote?"

"There was no vote." Said Tempest, his normally soft comforting and warm voice was absent as he sounded dire and serious now.

Cyclone perked a brow and tilted his head. "No vote? Why not?" Said Cyclone as he remembered Tempest was supposed to vote in his stead.

Tempest sighed and looked at the both of them with much worry in his voice before finally speaking up.

"Aurora is missing." Said High Dragon.

A cold chill traveled up the spine of Cyclone.


	9. Chapter 9: A Tale of Cyclone (Part 2)

An inner turmoil started to grow in Cyclones heart. He was frustrated and disappointed at how things had turned out between him and Aurora, but to hear that she had gone missing started to fill his heart with sadness as he assumed the worst.

"What do you mean she's missing?" Spoke up Cyclone quickly as he looked up to High Dragon Tempest, almost with a demanding tone as he grew more and more worried by the second.

"We waited for almost an hour." Spoke Tempest. "When we waited long enough we sent someone to go check her cave, but there was nothing. We sent a few scouts to check the valley, the mountain sides, and even scour the surrounding territories but we could find no trace of her." He finished.

Almost immediately Cyclone turned around and started to march off, about ready to take flight. Thunder quickly ran up beside him, trying to reason with him.

Thunder quickly tried to tug on Cyclones wing to get his attention. "Where are you going?" He said, hoping his friend wouldn't get himself into any trouble.

Cyclone didn't say anything. With a great flap of his wings, he took flight into the air and began to head over to Aurora's cave. Though when he arrived, his friend Thunder wasn't too far behind, still trying to get him to calm down. He looked all around her cave, finding no evidence of a struggle or anything out of the ordinary that would suggest foul play.

Thunder continued to prod him. "Cyclone listen to me, we need to take a moment and discuss how we're going to approach this. You don't want to do anything stupid that is going to get yourself in danger." He reasoned.

Cyclone brushed off his comments still trying to think of people close to Aurora that might potentially know where she was. Almost immediately Councilwoman Eclipse came to mind. He turned around and exited Aurora's cave and glided down the mountain slope with hopes of finding Eclipse.

Thunder stood on the edge of Aurora's cave, looking down as he watched Cyclone continue on his quest to find Aurora. He stopped for a moment and sighed, looking down to the ground as he knew that after their previous discussion, there was nothing he could say or do to try and stop Cyclone from pursuing his childhood friend.

Councilwoman Eclipse resided in her cave, trying to calm her nerves as she too was worried about Aurora's absence. When Cyclone landed at her doorstep she looked at him for a moment. Despite her worry for Aurora, there was almost a mother-like intense scrutiny when it came to Cyclone as she still wasn't sure if he was right for her.

"What is it, Councilman Cyclone?" the Councilwoman spoke, sitting up straight with her wings arched around her body like a shroud.

Cyclone quickly marched into her cave. "When did you last see Aurora?" He inquired desperately.

Eclipse's face delved more deeply into a frown as she remembered telling Aurora that she needed to focus on her clan. "I remember her heading out to where the hunter in our clan was captured. I told her to be careful..." She said her voice starting to fade slowly. "I fear the worst...I suspect she was captured as well but I do not know."

"You don't know?" Said Cyclone almost a little annoyed at her response. "You let her go off on her own on a mission that you knew was dangerous?" He said in almost an accusing manner.

Eclipse lowered her eyebrows as started to accuse her. "Don't you dare accuse me of being responsible for her absence. I have no control over what Aurora does or where she goes. She's an adult Dragon capable of making her own decisions. I advised her on what I thought was best, and I have no idea how far she took her mission."

Cyclone felt more annoyed. It wasn't in his nature to be brash and accusing like he was being, but the thought of Aurora being captured or potentially dead left him in a state of extreme anxiety and worry. As he felt more and more like snapping and accusing her more, he started to break down a bit on the inside. He felt in a way responsible for what had happened this far. It was his idea for him and Aurora to have an affair, and it was his idea to try and take their relationship to the next level.

He suspected in his mind the Aurora left because of her conflicting emotions, and that if he would have just restrained himself from the beginning that none of this would be happening.

Cyclone looked up to her for a moment with passion, rage, worry, fear, and uncertainty in his eyes and voice. "I can't lose her Eclipse..." He spoke softly. "...I won't."

Eclipse's look of anger started to subside as she saw him broken up over the loss of Aurora. She always had a lingering suspicion about Cyclone, but after seeing him so worried and bent out of shape over her absence she started to realize that he truly and deeply cared about Aurora.

She extended one of her wings rest on his shoulder. "I know Cyclone." She said with a comforting voice. "I'm not giving up either. We're going to find her and bring her home safely, but we can't be reckless. We can't let our judgment be clouded even in trying times."

Cyclone nodded in agreement. "I know..." He said softly as he looked out toward the entrance of her cave. "You said you saw her heading towards the location of the captured hunter?"

Eclipse nodded and took her wing off of his shoulder, bringing it back in front of her as she shrouded her body.

Cyclone slowly stood up and started to walk off toward the cave entrance.

"Cyclone." spoke Eclipse softly.

He turned his head to see her one more time.

"Please don't be reckless..." She pleaded, knowing that she wouldn't be able to stop him from pursuing Aurora, but she didn't want him to be captured as well.

He nodded once more and turned his head to the cave entrance as he exited and took flight towards the place that was mentioned.

As he soared through the air, he didn't know what to feel. To some extent he felt that he created this situation and it was up to him to make it right. The worrisome voice in his head kept suspecting that Aurora was dead but he didn't want to assume the worst.

When he arrived at the seen he took a look around, seeing the same scene that Aurora had, with ripped up patches of dirty, indentations in the grass, and trace amounts of magic still lingering from an apparent struggle.

He walked around a bit until at last he came upon a tree. A dangling piece of rope that was hanging off of one of the branches caught his attention. He looked around some more before noticing a bit of blood on the ground that had formed a little pool.

He dipped the tip of his claw in the blood and began to stir it, noticing that it was somewhat fresh still.

Next to the pool of blood he saw a bunch of large footprints but one footprint in particular stood out. He saw a much smaller footprint that seemed so familiar.

In a flashback he remembered Aurora laying on top of him as they kissed in the valley. He remembered Aurora placing her foot on his chest for balance as she felt the outline of his muscular physique.

He placed his talons over his chest, remembering the feeling of her foot on his chest with perfect detail as he looked at the footprint on the ground, no doubt in his mind that it belonged to her. After looking around a bit more he noticed the small footprints were gone and only the big ones remained.

As he followed them a bit more closely he realized that they led off into the direction of Nithogg's camp. For a moment he felt conflicted. He knew that forward lied only danger and peril, but also the only key to his heart that could make him happy. He remembered the words of Eclipse as she warned him not to be reckless.

He placed his talons over his chest once more and closed his eyes remembering the good old days of him and Aurora during their time in the valley. He slowly opened his eyes as he was now in the moment of Truth. Now was his choice to venture forward into uncertainty or to go back home and wait, possibly ensuring more pain and suffering for Aurora.

Once more the words of Eclipse rang in his thoughts. "Don't be reckless..." he remembered.

"I have to..." He said softly and walked forward.


	10. Chapter 10: An Ally in the Dark

Aurora's eyes slowly opened, already the pain of a massive headache was setting in. As she tried to rub her forehead, she wasn't able to. She looked down to her legs to see her front and back feet tied together. She looked around and quickly noticed that she was in a large cave, trapped in what appeared to be a giant Vrykul cell. She quickly used the tip of her wing to rub her eyes so she could see better.

Sitting outside of her cell was a purple dragon, one of Nithogg's brood, he quietly snickered to himself as he watched her awaken.

It didn't take Aurora long to realize what was happening. When she saw the purple dragon she lowered her eyebrows in distaste. She tried wiggling and using all of her strength to break her bonds, but it was no use.

Once more the dragon chuckled to himself some more as he enjoyed watching her squirm. "So there I was..." He said out loud for her to hear. "Just minding my own business, patrolling the camp borders like I do every night...bored...tired... and uninterested... but what is this I come across?" He said with a sort of sadistic smile as he watched Aurora look up to him.

"I see one of Tempest's dragons caught in a Vrykul trap, hanging upside down by her foot and knocked out cold, sleeping like a baby." He chuckled once more. "How amusing!" He spoke out loud.

Aurora looked away from him, refusing to speak to him or even give him a glance.

The purple Dragon grinned and walked up to her cell. "Oh come now... don't be rude." He said in a mocking tone as he looked through the bars to see her facing the other way.

Aurora tried her best to tone him out, turning her head the other way and laying back down on her side in silence.

"You know... Nithogg teaches us that we are the purest, most powerful, and elite clan of Dragons there is... that all of the rest of you are nothing but worthless disgusting rats. While I agree with him on most of that, I don't think you're disgusting..." He grinned.

He unlocked the cage and slowly opened the door before entering her cage. Almost immediately Aurora turned around and inched toward the corner of the cell as she saw him getting closer and closer.

Quickly Aurora perked her head up "What do you want." Said Aurora with a snappy tone as she didn't like the way this was going.

He walked up closer to her. "Don't be feisty." he chuckled, walking close to her. "I just want to prove Nithogg wrong... I don't think you're disgusting, I think you're deliciously beautiful." He said as he suddenly advanced on her, trying to pin her.

Aurora quickly realized he was trying to rape her, though it was difficult to fight back with bound feet.

As he managed to push her wings down with his own, he interlocked front claws with her, to prevent her from scratching him. Though Aurora used her tied hind feet to push against his hips, trying to keep him away.

The dragon grunted as he continued to try and sexually assault her but he didn't like her struggling. "Stop your struggling, rat! You're going to be mine whether you like it or not!" He said as his hips kept getting closer and closer to hers despite her struggle.

Aurora's throat glowed blue as she prepared to breath a stream of lightning in his face but he quickly stepped on her throat with one foot, silencing her while also restraining her two front talons using his other.

Aurora started to grow more and more desperate as he came dangerously close to penetrating her. She couldn't breathe while he was stepping on her throat, making it more difficult for her to struggle. Her hind feet were about to give way, but she knew she had to hold on as long as she could, for if he got past her back legs, there would be nothing she could do to stop him from having sex with her.

Right before he managed to get inside her a loud booming voice echoed in the cave. "ENOUGH!" the voice shouted with a tremendous thunder.

The male dragon quickly backed away from Aurora.

Aurora quickly backed up against the corner, shrouding her body with her wings in case the male tried to sexually advance on her again. She looked up to see a female dragon, about the same size as herself standing at the door way.

The female dragon walked up to the cage and almost ripped the door open. "Get out!" She said looking to the male dragon.

The male dragon huffed as he slowly exited the cell while looking back to Aurora. "Come on... I was just having a bit a fun... It's just one of Tempest's Dragons they aren't even worth-" His sentence was cut off by the female dragon grasping him by the throat and slamming him against the rocky wall of the cave.

"If you so much as lay a toe on her again I'll have you killed, is that understood?" She said tightening her grip on his throat. Already he was struggling to try and get a breath but he nodded swiftly.

The female dragon tossed him aside toward the exit. "Get out of my sight!" She yelled back to him as he quickly made his escape from the cave.

Aurora was still backed up against the corner, still reeling from the thought of being raped by such a disgusting male. She looked up to the purple female dragon and readied herself in case she tried to do something to her also.

The female dragon slowly closed the door and sat outside the cell. "I'm sorry about what just happened...I honestly thought I could trust him to behave." She said looking down at Aurora with pity as she saw Aurora readying herself like she was about to be attacked.

Aurora seemed to notice that once the male dragon left, the female was more calm and collected.

The purple dragon spoke. "You have my most sincere apologies." She said walking up to the cave, holding something in her arms. It was a plate of what appeared to be a sizable portion of fresh meat. "I'm not supposed to be giving you this much, only scraps, but you look extremely malnourished."

Aurora looked down to her stomach, not realizing that she actually was starving. After all that was going on in her life, food was almost a second thought for her now.

The female dragon opened the door and laid down the fresh meat. She also set down what appeared to be a bowl of water. "You need to eat to keep up your strength." She said once more before checking the coast to make sure no one else was watching her give the prisoner all of these extra rations.

One she offered Aurora the food and drink she slowly closed the door and started to walk from Aurora's cell in silence.

Aurora felt confused on the inside as she looked at the food and then back up to the female warden. She had always known that brood of Nithogg were always smug, arrogant, and cruel like the dragon that tried to rape her. Though she had never seen a dragon show kindness like the warden she just encountered.

"You're not like the rest of them." Spoke up Aurora softly.

The warden stopped in her tracks as she seemed surprised that the prisoner spoke to her. She figured she wanted to be left alone. The warden slowly turned around to look at Aurora, sitting down and folding her wings to her side.

The female dragon spoke. "I never wanted to be."

Aurora tilted her head. She crawled closer to the entrance of the cell to take a sip of water and clear her throat. She still shrouded her body with her wings. Once more she looked down to the generous portion of food. "Why are you being so kind to me? Why did you save me from the other dragon? You could have just let him have his way with me and no one would ever know."

"Just because we're from opposing clans doesn't mean the answer to every problem is cruelty and brutality." Said the warden.

Aurora seemed confused and interested at the same time. "Who are you?"

"I am Glade. Jail Warden, hunter, and one of Nithogg's brood." Said Glade.

"You wear that last title with such disdain." Said Aurora as she now was laying on her side. "I am Aurora, one of the councilors for my clan." She stated as she shifted uncomfortably in her bindings.

Glade looked down to see her struggling with her bindings. "Hold out your feet."

Aurora perked and eyebrow for a moment. She lifted her wing, unshrouding her body and extended her legs towards the cell bars.

Glade cut her bindings around her front and back ankles, letting her at least be somewhat comfortable.

Aurora felt glad to be freed from the uncomfortable bindings. She stretched her legs out, relaxing her muscles and her toes, before finally sitting up straight to face Glade through the bars of her cell where she too was sitting up straight.

"There's no need for you to be bound if you're in a cell." Said Glade

Aurora looked up to her for a moment with a smile. "Thank you, Glade. You're most definitely not like the rest of them. You're not a monster."

Glade chuckled for a moment. "They're my clan, I'm one of them. I have to be a monster if I wish to survive. The only time i can be myself is when i'm alone."

"What are they going to do to me?" Inquired Aurora. "Why am I here?"

Glade sighed. "I don't know why that fool brought you here. You didn't do any wrong... but that doesn't seem to matter, Nithogg has been capturing many innocents lately."

"Why?" Asked Aurora.

"For sport." Said Glade reluctantly. "Nithogg recently conquered a nearby Vrykul settlement. In their camp there was a gladiator ring for the Vrykul to brawl, with a surrounding stadium for spectators to watch the fight go down. Recently Nithogg has been pitting prisoners against each other."

Aurora nodded. "So that's what he's going to do to me?" She inquired.

Glade didn't want to giver her the true answer but she also didn't want to lie and give her false hope. "I don't know. I wish I could tell you more." She said, though deep down she had a suspicion that Aurora would be killed. "We have prisoners for different purposes, like labor. I don't know what Nithogg is going to do with you."

Aurora stood up, getting close to the cell bars. "Please you have to let me go! I'm a Councillor, my clan needs me. I'm trying to stop them from brazenly going to war with this clan."

Glade sighed deeply and turned her head towards the exit. "I'm sorry, Aurora. I can't go against Nithogg." she said knowing that Nithogg would stop at nothing to kill her if she helped Aurora escape.

She started to leave but Aurora quickly went up to the cell bars, hooking her claws through the bars as she tried to persuade her. "You don't have to be one of them! You can have a place with us!"

Glade stopped for a moment and sighed. "No one will ever accept a purple dragon. I am a monster." She said reluctantly before exiting the cave, leaving Aurora alone.

"I don't think you are..." Muttered Aurora to herself as she silently pondered about what fate lied in store for her now. Whether she would be killed in the arena or worked to death as a slave.

She laid down and curled up into a ball, covering herself with her wings like a blanket for warmth as she rested her chin on her front legs. For a moment she started once again to think about Cyclone, wishing she could see his face one last time, for deep down she had a suspicion that these might be her last days of life. None escape the cruelty of Nithogg.


	11. Chapter 11: Fighter or Coward?

Aurora hardly got any sleep the previous night because of all the thoughts racing through her head. Now when she did finally get to sleep it was only briefly. A loud rattling on her cell door quickly woke her up as she tried to rub her eyes to improve her sight.

Glade was opening her cell door and holding it open. "I'm sorry, but you need to come with me now." She said, seemingly with a sense of dread on her face almost as if she knew what was to come.

Aurora didn't say anything. She lowered her head and exited the cage, following Glade out of the cave. When she exited and had a look around, she wasn't expecting a camp to look so menacing. Purple dragons of Nithogg flew high up in the air watching the skies, the grass and trees seemed to be withering away.

Many dragons were sparring to improve their combat skills but not in a way like she had been used to. In Tempest's camp, sparring was frequent but no brutality was allowed. As Aurora watched the dragons spar, they mercilessly mauled and clawed each other almost to the point of death. Knowing Nithogg's legacy, she figured the High Dragon taught his clan to show no mercy not even to one's own kin.

Aurora heard a crackling crunch coming from underneath her. She stopped and lifted up her front left foot to see a broken skull on the ground. The ground seemed to be littered with the skulls of Vrykul and Dragons. "What is this place?" Aurora thought to herself for a moment.

"Come on!" Said Glade, beckoning Aurora over. "We don't want any trouble."

Aurora nodded. "Sorry." She said picking back up the pace. Though she couldn't help but notice many other dragons being escorted out to the main courtyard, none of them Purple. Many of them appeared to be from different Storm Dragon clans, with a couple even being Blue Dragons of Azuna.

When Aurora arrived at the destination she was put shoulder to shoulder with many other prisoners. She looked down the line to see about twenty dragons to her left, then looked the other way to see two dragons to her right. Though as she looked forward she could see a massively tall purple Dragon approaching the line of prisoners. Without a doubt this was the High Dragon, Nithogg that she had only heard about in legends.

A dread silence broke over the camp as the prisoners looked up to Nithogg, a smug smile crept across his face as he observed the line of prisoners.

"I'd like to thank you for joining us on this fine lovely day." Said Nithogg with a seemly friendly tone though Aurora could easily pick up on his undertone of sarcasm.

"My my my...what a lovely bunch you all are..." He said walking down the line, seeing some of them nervous, others not so much. "I bet you're all wondering to yourselves... 'Why am I here?' well lucky for you I have an answer." He said walking down the other end of the line as he paced back and forth.

"You're here so that I can figure out which of you will provide me with the most entertainment." He said keeping up his grin. "Some of you are fighters, others...cowards. Come now, are there none of you with the resilience to stand up to me?" He said starting at the line at the far right.

Aurora looked to her right to see the other two dragons looking up to Nithogg in fear.

Nithogg looked to the first dragon on the far right, a female with blue scales. "What about you my dear, which type are you?" He said with a fiery intimidating in his eyes.

The blue dragon started to shake nervously and gulped. "I don't know!" She cried out, not knowing what to say.

Nithogg chuckled. "Well you better find out quickly..." He said raising his left leg as if he was about to strike her.

The female dragon quickly lowered her head "I'm a coward!" she yelled out, quivering in fear.

Nithogg's smile grew. "Aww... there there." he said patting her. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get some labor out of you." He said looking up to his guards, signalling for them to take her away to the laborers camp.

Nithogg then moved to the next person in line, the one immediately to Aurora's right, a male dragon with red scales.

"How abou-" Nithogg tried to say, but before he could finish the sentence, the male quickly fell to the floor, submitting to him. "Please don't hurt me! I don't want to die!" He said hoping to be spared.

"Well that was quick" Nithogg said laughing, signaling the guard to take him to the same place as the other dragon.

Aurora looked up to see Nithogg standing right infront of her.

"And you my dear?" Said Nithogg, expecting her too to crumble before him.

Aurora did nothing and said nothing. She stayed tall and proud with her head kept upright, refusing to give in to him.

Nithogg's smile grew to the point where he was showing teeth. He seemed amused that Aurora was showing no fear. He turned his gaze away from her to look further down the line. But in an unexpected move, he swiftly turned and gave a backhand smack right to Aurora's jaw.

The powerful blow from the massive dragon was enough to sweep Aurora off of her feet. She landed on her back about a yard back from where she was struck. She wiped the blood off of her lip and struggled to stand up but she did it. She stood tall and proud once more, giving Nithogg a scowl of defiance as she spit some blood out on the ground.

"Wow!" Said Nithogg with an impressed tone of voice. "Look at that! Not even a single tear or quiver. I think we found ourselves a tough one!"

Glade watched the event unfold, she felt angry that this injustice was allowed to unfold in front of her eyes. She saw Aurora as an ally. No one had ever offered her sanctuary or told her that they believed in her before. She quickly decided to speak up before the situation spiraled out of control.

"Where shall I take the prisoner, High Dragon?" She said looking up to Nithogg as she began walking up to Aurora.

Nithogg shot his gaze to his head warden, Glade. "I think she'll make an excellent fighter! Take her away to the Arena grounds at once." He said dusting off his talons as he looked further on down the line of terrified dragons.

Glade quickly helped Aurora stay standing as Aurora still felt a little dizzy at the moment. She helped Aurora over to her new cave. Once they entered there was another cell awaiting her. Glade let go over her as Aurora quickly fell to the ground rubbing her head.

"So this is how you determine champions in this camp, hm? Whoever can take a hidden punch?" Said Aurora, obviously angry as the blow from the mighty dragon hurt severely, though thankfully her jaw wasn't broken and she could still speak.

"Why didn't you give in?" Glade asked. "You would have been sent to the laborers camp where you could have atleast been safe."

Aurora sighed, keeping the tip of her claw over her bleeding lip. "I don't yield to fear. If I'm going to get out of here, I'm going to fight my way out, not work my way out." Said Aurora confidently. Something about her was different at the moment. Back at Tempest's camp she felt more emotional and happy and sensitive, though whenever she was presented with danger and peril, she was a lot more serious and resilient.

Glade felt inspired somewhat by Aurora's spirit. Never before had she encountered a dragon who dared to stand up to Nithogg. She heard a summons from outside the cave and closed the cell door. "I'll be back with food and water." She reassured before exiting the cave.

Aurora laid down on her side as she started to feel more and more hopeless, but at the same time she felt a burning fire in her heart that compelled to her fight and survive though she couldn't identify what it was. She started to close her eyes as she enjoyed the silence for once. She couldn't help but think of Cyclone. Now that she was at her lowest point, the only way to bring some light into her world was to think about the happier days.

She started to remember all the time she spent with Cyclone in the valley, how they played and rolled around in the grass while having a good time. Even though she had lost Cyclone forever, even the thought of seeing him one last time, whether on good terms or bad was enough to inspire her to keep fighting. She had a deep sense of dread that she wasn't going to make it out of this place alive, but she wasn't going to give up without a fight.

After about an hour she heard footsteps approach once more and looked up to see Glade. She was carrying food and water though the look on her face suggested that she had more to say.

"What's wrong Glade?" Said Aurora as she watched her slide the food and drink through the cell.

"They're starting the Tournament tomorrow. I didn't expect it to come this early. Nithogg is eager to test out his new arena. You start early in the morning."

At this point more bad news didn't even phase Aurora. At this point she was expecting anything.

"I'm on your side, Aurora." Said Glade as she looked through the bars.

Aurora's eyebrows perked up for a moment. She didn't expect to hear such words from a jail warden. "Why? Why help me?" She said, wondering why Glade would risk her own life to help her out.

"Nithogg has lost his mind. I've known him for many years and he has never acted this cruel or brutal. When I was young he taught me the values of honor and humility, though it seems he has had a change of heart. Seeing you stand up to him like you did has inspired me, and seeing him so brashly deal out cruelty and death has soured my view of him. I would rather die than serve another second as his lacky." Said Glade confidently.

"You don't have to die, glade. You can come live with us in our clan. You think that everyone will reject you because of your purple scales, but it's not true! I will make sure that you are treated properly." Said Aurora hoping to convince Glade to take her offer.

"You really think this is going to work?" Glade Inquired.

Aurora nodded. "I do. Though I don't know you would be able to help in the Arena."

Glade grinned. "I know the fighters. I can tell you their strengths and weaknesses. The only question is, are you as good of a fighter as you think you are?"

"Well I guess we'll find out. Please, gather any information that you can that will help me win. We're going to win this tournament and then we're going to escape." Said Aurora confidently, trying to inspire not only Glade but herself as well.

Glade nodded and closed the cell door as she prepared to leave. "I'll do what I can, but please, at least try and get some rest. You're going to need it." She said turning around and exiting the cave.

Aurora nodded and curled up to get some sleep, shrouding herself with her wings like a blanket for warmth. For the first since she had arrived at the camp she felt confidence and hope. What could possibly go wrong?


	12. Chapter 12: No Mercy

It was early the next day, both Aurora and Glade were in the underground Arena training grounds. The dungeon was lit with torches all around, with multiple rings for people to spar in. Around them were a crew of dragon combatants practicing and sparring for the tournament that was to come. Aurora and Glade were sitting on the ground with their backs up against the wall as they talked strategy.

"What have you heard?" Inquired Aurora as she tried to not be distracted by all the loud sparring and training going on around them.

"I was able to find out the contestants for the first couple of rounds." Said Glade. "The first opponent you face is a male dragon known as Spike. I've seen him before... not very intelligent, not gifted in any form of magic, but he has big claws and big teeth so he is still dangerous."

For a moment Aurora looked away from Glade to see Spike a couple yards away from them. He was practicing with some other dragons, and was easily throwing them around and slamming them on the ground. He certainly was a large dragon, if he was just a little bit taller it would be possible to confuse him with a High Dragon. "So don't engage in tooth and claw combat you say?"

Glade nodded. "Luckily that shouldn't be much of a problem for you, right?"

"It shouldn't. I'll try my best to keep him at bay and gradually wear him down with magic. Is there anything else you can tell me?" Aurora asked.

Glade looked away from her to also look at Spike. She rubbed her chin slowly with the tip of her wing. "Yes... should you be inclined to fight dishonorably, Spike sustained a crippling injury on his front left leg which happened to him in battle one day. He's recovered but if all else fails you can strike him there to cripple him once more."

"Dishonorable you say?" Said Aurora with an eyebrow perked.

Glade nodded. "Though I suppose someone like Nithogg wouldn't be able to tell the difference between honorable and dishonorable now would he?"

Aurora chuckled. "You make a good point. I'll do what I must."

"Now I hate to cut things short but I need to get you in the pen and ready for release. Nithogg wants to get the fights started early so he can 'enjoy' them all day long." Said Glade standing up along with Aurora.

Aurora nodded and the two of them walked down the hallway. Along the way Aurora looked to the side, seeing all the fierce opponents lashing at each other as they sparred roughly. Deep down she felt uncertain. She had always known herself to be a good fighter but she had never gone toe to toe with real gladiators. As she walked with Glade, they eventually came toward the pen that released the fighters out into the arena.

Glade escorted Aurora into the pen, which was just under the Vrykul stadium. "I wish you the best, Aurora. Show them what you're made of."

Aurora nodded to her confidently and watched as Glade backed out of the pen and went to exit the dungeons to sit amongst the other brood of Nithogg.

Aurora looked forward, taking a deep breath, trying to keep herself together. Though not long after that, the wooden door in front of her opened. Aurora took a couple steps forward out into the open arena. Being underground for so long made her eyes sensitive to the light. As she stepped out into the arena, she could hear the cheering of spectators from all around.

Aurora rubbed her eyes to adjust to the light. When she opened her eyes again she could see Spike, the massive dragon standing at the other end of the Arena, having just come out of his pen. Already he was flashing her a menacing glare, but Aurora stood fast.

She looked around to see a wide open circular arena. When she looked up she saw a metal cage high up above to prevent the fighters from escaping to the skies. Beyond the cage were rows of spectators cheering with an obvious bloodlust.

"Welcome everyone!" Announced Nithogg, silencing the crowd. "And welcome, fighters. Like all great games, there comes a few rules, though I only have one." He said grinning. "The only rule in this Arena is... No Mercy..." He said with almost a sadistic delight.

Aurora seemed a bit unnerved at the thought of killing someone just for sport. She had always been taught by Tempest that honorable opponents always spare each other. Though as she glanced at the dragon across from her, seeing the angry and intimidating look on his face, she soon realized that her definition of honor differed greatly from the Nithogg clan.

"And now... we've been waiting long enough. Lets get these games started!" Said Nithogg, inciting the crowd to once again cheer. "Fighters, I wish you the best of luck...now... Fight to the death!" He ordered them.

Without a moments hesitation Aurora noticed the massive dragon rushing to her as quick as she could. She quickly clapped her wings together, summoning two lightning orbs. She commanded the orbs to circle the arena, riding on the walls. One went clockwise the other going counter clockwise. As the orbs orbited the arena, they let out a constant stream of lightning on Spike. The damage wouldn't be fatal but it would be enough to wear him down over a long period of time.

As spike got close to her he readied his head for a ramming charge. Aurora quickly flapped her wings and shot up into the air, making sure not to go too high as to hit the metal cage.

Spike rammed straight into the wall and started to grunt in pain as Aurora's lightning orbs started to zap him repeatedly.

"I'll catch you soon enough, rat!" yelled Spike. Almost immediately he backed up and turned to see Aurora in the air. He took to the sky aswell and began to chase her.

Aurora quickly turned and began to circle around the arena as her orbs continued to shock him. Though as quick as she tried to be, she couldn't outfly the massive dragon. She felt something grab onto her tail. She looked behind her to see the dragon grabbing onto her tail. Though before she could do anything the massive dragon descended violently and slammed Aurora on the ground with a loud thud.

Aurora groaned as she was dazed. Spike quickly positioned himself on top of her, pinning down her wings, though he was slowed down from finishing her quick because her orbs were still shocking him. Spike grumbled out in pain as he tried to shield himself from the lightning that was battering him.

Aurora struggled to get out from underneath him but she couldn't escape his grasp. She looked up to see him distracted by her lightning orbs. She then looked to his front left leg remembering what Glade had told her. Aurora quickly used her front foot to kick his sensitive leg.

Spike roared out in pain as the hard kick sprained his leg. Though the pain seemed to make him even more fierce. "Enough! Time to end your pitiful life!" he said loudly. Spike quickly fought through the pain and lowered his head, grabbing Aurora by the neck with his massive jaws and quickly started to turn his head to the left.

Aurora gasped as she was grasped by the throat and felt him turning. He was trying to snap her neck! She had only a brief moment before the massive dragon turned his head enough to break her neck. She quickly channeled all of her energy into her front left foot and placed it on his chest over his heart. With a loud roar Aurora sent a powerful shock through his chest which stopped his heart immediately.

The massive dragon's eyes quickly widened as he felt something shock his chest. He let go of Aurora's throat and rolled off of her, flailing about on the ground. His chest heaved as he attempted to catch a breath and clenched his chest as he felt a tightness that he had never experienced before. He squirmed for a bit until he ran out of time and succumed to death.

Aurora got off of the ground and stood up, brushing herself off. "Strength never trumps power of mind." She said shaking the dirt off of her scales as her lightning orbs disappeared.

The crowd, which had previously been cheering loud had now gone silent.

Aurora lowered her eyebrows as she looked around at the crowd, wondering what was the matter with them. Perhaps it was the notion that a small female like her would never triumph over a massive dragon like Spike. Aurora figured the bloodthirsty spectators came expecting to see her ripped apart piece by piece.

"My... how disappointing." Spoke Nithogg, breaking the silence. "Not even a drop of blood." He said, hoping for at least some form of carnage.

Aurora growled lowly to herself, wishing she could speak up to him but decided to keep her mouth shut. It was apparent now that the audience was looking for a bloodbath, though her clean kill robbed them of that pleasure. Nevertheless, She walked over to Spike and placed her two front feet on his chest, standing over his body triumphantly as she looked up to Nithogg.

Nithogg smiled for a moment, it certainly wasn't the battle he was hoping for but it was still a good fight nonetheless. "Ladies and gentlemen, your victor." He said gesturing to Aurora. the crowd cheered but not as enthusiastically as before. Already Aurora could sense the insincerity amongst the crowd as it appeared they were cheering half-heartedly just to please Nithogg.

Nevertheless, Aurora bowed to Nithogg and the crowd, an act that made her feel sick on the inside, but she did it regardless. She then turned around to see two Arena officials opening the pen for her to go back into the underground training cavern.

Aurora exited the arena and entered the pen, dusting herself off one last time. She went back to her own private quarters and laid down for a moment. Though after a few minutes had passed Glade approached her once more.

"Are you okay?" Inquired Glade as she stood at the entrance of Aurora's quarters, looking down to see her on the ground.

Aurora huffed, amused. "Well the crowd sure doesn't seem to like me."

"They were hoping for a bit more blood than what you gave them." said Glade.

Aurora sat up straight and stretched her neck which was still sore. "What am I supposed to do? cut his heart out of his chest?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try and think outside the box." Joked Glade, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. Though Aurora didn't seem the least bit phased. Glade sighed. "Look, Nithogg is unpredictable. If he decides he doesn't like you he could just have you executed whenever the mood strikes him, so please at least try to endear yourself to the crowd." She finished.

Aurora lowered her head, some part of her wishing this nightmare would just be over. "Well, I'm ready to get back out there whenever you are."

"That's the spirit." Said Glade, beckoning her to follow.

As the two dragons walked side by side to the pen, Glade began to explain the next combatant. "This next fighter is a member of the Blue Dragonflight, Falegos. Captured long ago, he soon started to like this place, thinking of it as his home. We don't even bind him or jail him anymore. He fights for us willingly. Like you he's more of a magic user, so this battle will be one of wit, rather than brute strength."

Aurora nodded and took in her insight as the finally made there way to the holding pen. "Thanks for the help, Glade."

"Don't mention it." Glade responded with a smirk. "Knock em dead." She said before exiting Aurora's pen.

Aurora waited patiently until her pen door opened and she stepped out Into the Arena to see her opponent. He was a male dragon, about the same size of her. She had only heard about the Blue Dragons in legends, how they were masters of the Arcane. Already Aurora was thinking of possible strategies of how to win when Nithogg addressed the crowd once again.

"Well after that first fight, let's hope things get a little more interesting this time around!" Said Nithogg chuckling. "Fighters, you know the rules... No mercy.." He said menacingly.

Aurora's attention was turned toward the Dragon in front of her, as he was already charging up some of his spells. "You think your power to be equal to that of a true keeper of magic?" Falegos taunted.

Aurora chuckled. "Just because your scales are blue doesn't make you any more or less special than I." She taunted back, already preparing her defenses. Aurora looked down to his feet, seeing him drawing runes of power on the ground for him to siphon power from. She quickly tried to disrupt his siphoning by rearing up onto her back legs and then coming down with a mighty stomp, sending a shockwave of Lightning across the arena.

Falegos flapped his wings heavily once, shooting himself into the air, avoiding the wave of lightning that passed below him. He opened his mouth to fire a hefty volley of arcane missiles toward Aurora.

Aurora shifted the power in her body to her right wing. Her wing glew with a bright white light as she charged her wing, and then covered her body like a shield. Falegos' missiles deflected off of her wing, bouncing in every which direction. Aurora quickly uncovered herself to shift her talons across the ground, her talons crackling with lightning power as she summoned a tornado of electric energy to spiral forward, growing larger with each second it moved toward her opponent.

Falegos quickly flew towards the Tornado, getting close to it before it grew too wide. He immediately unleashed an explosion of arcane energy that radiated outward from his chest, cancelling her tornado and striking Aurora.

Aurora was pushed back against the wall, leaving a large indentation before she finally fell to the ground. She grunted in pain. She quickly charged both of her wings with lightning power and began slicing them both through the air back and forth, sending blades of crystallized lightning toward him in the air, trying to knock him down. With each slice she took a step forward to improve her aim.

Falegos, being the agile flier he was, avoided each and every one of her attacks as he soared gracefully through the air. He then quickly took to the air as high as he could go without hitting the metal cage ceiling. He charged his front legs with Arcane power and then quickly spiraled toward the ground, eventually slamming his feet into the ground with a tremendous stomp that unleashed a deadly explosion of arcane energy which even unearthed a few boulders.

Aurora quickly covered herself with her wings but his tremendous power overwhelmed her, shocking her with Arcane energy and sweeping her off the ground to once again slam against the wall. When she fell to the ground she landed on her belly roughly with a painful sigh.

The crowd started to cheer, and Nithogg and his lackeys began to laugh. "Glorious! None have ever stood their ground against Falegos for this long. You've survived longer than most." He mocked Aurora.

Aurora growled and refused to stay down, rising once again. "I'm not done yet..." She said, calling upon her full power to summon a storm that darkened the sky in the arena, creating a mini thunderstorm that made flying perilous. Falegos, after being shocked by the dark clouds, quickly retreated to the ground once more to be level with Aurora. His eyes grew purple with arcane energy as he opened his mouth and began to unleash a steady stream of arcane power toward Aurora.

Aurora opened her mouth aswell, breathing a stream of storm upon him. The two dragon's beams collided in the middle and the two combatants began a struggle of will. Already Aurora could feel herself being overwhelmed as her beam of lightning was being pushed back by his. She planted her feet firmly on the ground as she tried to push back, but she was quickly losing hope.

In this hopeless moment, already Aurora was starting to debate whether she should even try to survive at this point. She had failed her clan by being reckless and she had abandoned Cyclone, who still held a warm place in her heart. She closed her eyes for a moment, circling back to the care-free evening she spent with Cyclone. She felt a radiance in her heart at that moment. She wanted to see Cyclone again, to make things right.

"I'm not giving up on you..." Aurora thought to herself as she remembered Cyclone. She opened her eyes and clenched her talons in the dirt with a fierce gaze on her look. Right before she was overwhelmed by his energy she started to push back with a renewed vigor.

Felagos started to feel his magic being pushed back. Already Aurora's beam was starting to push his back. He held her off for as long as he could until her beam reached his face and exploded, sending him sliding back a few yards.

Before he could even look up Aurora charged him. She empowered both of her wings with energy and quickly brought them into a clap, sandwiching his face in between her two wings, which dazed him, blurring his vision.

Aurora fought back with fierce determination. She quickly grabbed him by the neck and held him up. The crowd started to cheer as she began charging her claws, channeling the power of the storm into his head.

Felagos roared out loud in pain for a moment until Aurora overloaded his system with lightning, causing his head to explode in a shower of blood and gore.

Felagos' headless body fell to the ground, massive amounts of blood pooling out from his open neck. Already Aurora felt a deep disgust on the inside. She didn't want to give him such a violent end, though she knew she needed to endear herself to the crowd if she wished to survive.

The crowd went wild, rearing up on their hind legs and cheering as they admired the finale to the battle. Even Nithogg himself was clapping, impressed. "Well done! Well done champion!" He said with a grin on his face. "You certainly have more stamina than your average Storm Dragon... What is your name, champion?"

Aurora felt a sadness in her heart for a moment. She didn't feel good about dealing out such a violent death for nothing more than sport. She felt dishonorable but kept her feelings to herself as she looked up to Nithogg, clenching her talons once more.

"I am Aurora, and I'm not your average Storm Dragon."


	13. Chapter 13: Dire Consequences

Aurora was doing exceptionally well in the Arena though the secret to her success was a combination of factors. Many of the combatants in the arena were not used to fighting a female, as typically females usually took a backseat to males who were born naturals at fighting. Her opponents continued to underestimate her as Glade continued to point out their weaknesses for Aurora to exploit.

In the underground cavern Aurora was cleaning her claws readying for the next match while Glade continued to talk strategy to her.

"This could be the day, Aurora." Said Glade. "You only have to last a few more rounds and you can finally be out of this mess."

"So will you. I plan to be true to my word, I will not leave you behind for all your help, Glade." Said Aurora, respectfully nodding to her. "Now tell me a bit of this next fighter."

Glade took a seat next to Aurora in her quarters. "This one is going to be a bit tricky. Most specialize in either magic or physical combat, but sometimes fighters utilize a bit of both, hand in hand. Thrash, your next opponent, is one of our own, purple scales like mine. His style is a mix of both, you can never predict which he will do. Sometimes he stays afar and casts storm magic, sometimes he resorts to tooth and claw, and when he is most desperate he can combine the two, for a magic-infused physical assault style. Come i'll tell you more on the way" Said Glade standing up to escort Aurora to the release pen.

"How can I defeat him?" Aurora questioned as they walked together towards the pen.

"I've known him since my young days." Said Glade. "We never were friends, but I was forced to be in his presence from time to time. When he was little he got a bit overzealous and challenged a wolf to a fight. He hurt his spine severely and was confined to a cave for quite some time. He eventually recovered and went on to become the fierce fighter he is today but he still struggles from back problems. If you can get on top of him and put pressure on that old wound, you might be able to cripple him." She finished finally arriving at the pen.

"Thanks again Glade, wish me luck." Said Aurora confidently.

Glade nodded and exited the dungeon, feeling more certain and confident than she usually did. She exited the underground cavern and returned to her spot near Nithogg and his other commanders. When she got to her spot, she looked to her left to see Nithogg covering his face, sighing.

"Everything alright, High Dragon?" Asked Glade, faking a concern about what was troubling her leader.

"The crowd grows restless, Glade." Said Nithogg, lowering his wing to look at her. "This 'Aurora' girl is starting to bore the crowd. The way she fights is very boring. She's too noble, I want a champion who will give the crowd what they want." He said with a grim and heartless look on his face, though his face soon lit up with a devilish smile.

"Hmmm..." hummed Nithogg as he thought for a moment. He quickly leaned to his left, whispering an order into his commander, who quickly nodded and started to walk off. Glade felt suspicious as she watched the High Dragon's actions. She quickly perked her head up to see the commanded leaving.

"Whats going on, High Dragon?" Asked Glade trying to figure out what's going on.

"She fights with honor and nobility... I believe I know a way to bring her to her knees." He smiled sadistically.

Glade gulped nervously as she didn't like where this was going. She looked in front of her, looking through the cage, waiting for Aurora to come out into the ring.

Aurora stretched her wings and got ready for the fight, waiting for Nithogg's announcement. Already her mind was racing with ways to injure Thrash's back. She began to think of spells that could get her the advantage. She rubbed her chin as she thought strategy for a moment until at last she heard the squeaky wooden doors of her pen open up.

"Welcome all, to day two of the Tournament! We have a real interesting fight for you this time! Combatants, come forth!" Announced Nithogg.

Aurora stepped out into the arena. The light hurt her eyes as she was underground for a long time. She started to rub her eyes to get used to the light. When she looked back up, her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped to see a little baby dragon on the other end of the Arena. Already the crowd was growing excited as they expected a slaughter to happen.

When the infant dragon stepped out into the Arena Glade's jaw dropped as well and she rushed forward, hooking her claws through the cage in the stands as she couldn't believe her eyes. She turned around to face Nithogg. "What are you doing!?" She demanded.

Nithogg chuckled. "Testing our 'Champion' he said with a toothy grin.

"Alright Fighters!" Announced Nithogg, brushing Glade's remarks aside. "Remember... No Mercy..." He said, inciting the crowd to rear up on their hind legs and cheer.

Aurora's heart sank at the barbarism of cheering for a child to be murdered. The little dragon had blue scales, and was so young he could barely walk, struggling to even stand up. As the crowd started going wild the little dragon started to get scared.

Aurora started to walk over to the baby dragon. Already the dragon was crawling up into a corner of the arena trying to shield itself with its wings. Though as Aurora started to get closer and the crowd got louder, the baby dragon's eyes started to fill up with tears and he began to cry for his mother.

Aurora quickly walked up to the dragon and scooped him up in her wings, trying to calm him. "Shhh..." she said, hugging the little dragon close to her chest to comfort it. "I'm not going to hurt you..." She said reassuringly. The baby quickly buried his face into her chest and began to sob as he missed his mother, though Aurora's cooing started to calm him down as he began to feel safe. Aurora continued to cradle him in her wings until he stopped crying.

The crowd started to boo loudly and vigorously, with some laughing and mocking her. In the stands NIthogg began laughing as well. "Awww... how adorable! Isn't that precious?" he mocked. "You going to cuddle him to death?" said Nithogg still laughing.

Aurora looked up to Nithogg with an angry scowl, and she herself started to feel her spirit breaking as the very thought of sending a child to be ripped apart for entertainment made Aurora sick to her stomach. Though she quickly looked back down to the baby and gave him a quick nuzzle on his forehead, trying to shield him from the hatred and mocking that was coming from the stands.

"Here's the plan, 'Aurora'." Said Nithogg, stepping off his throne to walk closer to the edge of the arena. "You have two choices... you can either grant the miserable little runt a swift painless death, or I'll have my guards mercilessly torture him to death slowly and painfully in front of you...and my guards know what they're doing, they won't let him die easily."

Aurora growled at him and kept to herself. Already the crowd started to throw scraps of food and water into the arena at Aurora. Though Aurora just shielded the young dragon from their food and drink and refused to submit.

"You can't do this!" Said Glade placing her arms on Nithogg trying to shake him to get his attention. The massive High Dragon quickly spun around and backhand-slapped Glade across the face, sending her sliding across the floor. "You want to be ripped apart too? huh?" He said looking down to her. "Then keep your mouth shut!" He demanded, spitting on the ground as Glade recovered from the dazing strike.

"Enough of this. Guards, take the young one away." Announced NIthogg.

Aurora gasped as all the doors opened and about ten dragon-guards started to walk into the Arena, more than she could fight off. As they got closer, her heart started to race.

As one guard got close Aurora quickly spun around, striking him across the face with her tail as she held the baby with her front legs. Two more guards approached and she began to strike them with her claws and wings, trying her best to hold them off. Though as she was being overwhelmed Aurora yelled out. "Alright! I'll do it!" She roared out loud.

"Stop." Nithogg ordered the guards to back off. "Give her some room." He said rubbing his chin interested to see how this works out.

Aurora sighed as the guards backed off. She slowly placed the young dragon on the ground. He looked up to her with a sad look on his face. A tear started to form in Aurora's eyes as her mouth started glowing with a blue light as she began charging up a powerful spell. She channeled all the power in her body into this one spell that began to light up the arena.

Already Nithogg was rubbing his wings together maniacally as Glade watched on in horror.

Aurora felt conflicted on the inside. She closed her eyes as she finished conjuring the spell. Already the crowd was cheering for her yet again. Though with her last ounce of power, Aurora suddenly and unexpectedly pointed her head up and blasted her spell upwards towards the cage.

Her storm bolt struck the cage, a blinding white light flashed as her spell detonated, shattering hundreds of metal fragments everywhere, completely blowing the top off the Arena. The crowd started to scream in terror, some starting to fly away. Aurora quickly scooped up the baby dragon and took flight. Already the guards were chasing after her.

As Aurora soared through the air she encountered many sentinels in the air that tried to strike her down. Aurora dodged their attacks, firing back at them with bolts of lightning. Though having expended all her power on the original storm bolt, her magic was weakened. Aurora continued to soar towards freedom, eluding attacks and swatting guards away until she felt something overcome her.

A searing pain struck her as Nithogg managed to blast her from the sky. She started to spiral towards earth, keeping the child close to her chest the whole time until she crash landed on the ground, leaving a deep crater where she fell.

Her vision started to grow dark as she was beginning to pass out. She opened her eyes to see many guards starting to overwhelm her. She looked back down to her chest to see that the child was alright before she blacked out, her vision going completely dark.

A searing pain in her head started to strike her as she slowly began to come to. A headache once again afflicted her. She raised her head and started to rub it with her wing as she slowly opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by hundreds of purple dragons. Though also in front of her were all of the prisoners and other captured dragons bound in chains. She looked around to see herself in the middle of the camp.

Aurora rose and stood up and looked around to see everyone staring at her. When she looked behind her she was almost startled to see Nithogg looking over her.

"Welcome back, sleepy head." He said with a menacing grin.

Nithogg looked to the crowd who were now focused on him. "You all are probably wondering, 'why am I here?' or 'why did ol' Nithogg interrupt my lovely day of relaxation?' well I'll tell you." He said slowly starting to walk in circles around Aurora.

"Now, as you may know, I'm not like most High Dragons. I don't have some long five-hundred page rule book that i expected everyone to know and memorize. Around here I only have one rule and one rule alone." He said looking to the prisoners who were right in front of Aurora, and then to the crowd of purple dragons. "My one and only rule, is that you respect my authority." He said, his deep tone starting to sound more and more intimidating, though the toothy grin on his face never seemed to fade.

Nithogg pointed to Aurora. "This, rebellious little girl here, thought she could disrespect my property by destroying my arena, and thought she could disrespect my guards by shooting them out of the sky. Now... that doesn't sound very respectful now does it?" He said tilting his head as he looked to Aurora, hoping to scare her though she didn't seem to budge.

Aurora stood tall and proud, even as the entire camp began to judge her along with Nithogg.

"So..." Continued Nithogg. "You can imagine how i'm feeling right now. Only one tiny little rule i expect to be followed, and some people, like her." he said pointing to Aurora. "Just can't seem to get it through their thick skulls." He said chuckling. "So now you're probably wondering... how do I help our 'champion' remember our one tiny little rule, hmm?" Said Nithogg with a smile.

He looked around the silent crowd for a moment as he continued to circle Aurora until he unexpectedly and suddenly sent a shoulder charge toward Aurora which caught her off guard and rolled her onto her back.

Aurora grunted as the massive High Dragon was able to knock her over onto her back. She quickly coughed a bit as she tried to regain her breath and stand up but her eyes perked to see Nithogg grabbing her by her two back feet.

Nithogg quickly picked her up by her back feet and raised her in the air, holding her upside down. Already the crowd started to feel intimidated by just how quickly Nithogg could snap.

"Now..." Said Nithogg, his scary grin still adorning his face. "Since this fine young girl can't seem to understand my simply rule I'm going to give not just her, but you all an example."

Already Aurora started to grow restless as she tried to struggle but couldn't break his grasp. She could do nothing at the moment but dangle upside down.

"The reason I brought you all here is so you can watch and learn from her silly mistake, and hopefully when we're done here, I won't have to interrupt any your fine mornings." He said, his grin growing a bit bigger.

Nithogg quickly wrapped his claws around Aurora's toes on her back left foot and bent them back until a loud breaking crack was heard.

Aurora roared out as loud as she could as a searing pain in her foot started to shake her entire body. She clenched her teeth and her talons as tightly as she could as the searing pain started to strike her.

Nithogg waited a few moments, looking at the rest of the crowd who were all in shock, some of them shivering nervously as Nithogg made an example of Aurora. After chuckling a bit, Nithogg then started to twists her toes even more, breaking several more bones which caused a very loud cracking and popping sound that unnerved everyone, especially the prisoners in front of Aurora who were horrified.

Aurora started to shake from the excruciating agony. She started to breath heavily through her mouth as she tried her best to keep herself composed.

"Now..." said Nithogg as he enjoyed watching Aurora suffer. "The way I see it, you have about... nine more perfectly healthy unbroken toes on your feet, if you want to keep that number as it stands, I suggest you behave yourself." He said chuckling as he squeezed her foot one last time, causing her more pain before dropping her to the ground, where she landed with a harsh thud.

Aurora quickly curled up, trying to rub her broken foot to help ease the pain. The pain was so intense that she almost felt like crying but she stayed strong, for the sake of the other prisoners, showing them that her spirit would not be broken even if her body was.

"So here's the plan, 'Aurora'." Said Nithogg in a mocking tone. "We're going to rebuild what you destroyed, and when we finish it, you're getting back out there to fight again, even with your injury. We'll see how good of a fighter you are with three feet." He said finishing.

Nithogg looked around to the crowd who were obviously mortified. "Now let's get back to our busy lives, and remember...please respect my authority." He said smiling before announcing one last time. "Dismissed." He said and the crowd quickly dispersed.

The prisoners were already shaking as they watched Aurora try tend to her Injury.

Glade was watching the entire event unfold with horror in her eyes. She watched as Nithogg ordered his guards to take all the prisoners away and she quickly stepped forward.

"I'll escort her back to her cell." Said Glade rushing over to Aurora but Nithogg stopped her in her tracks.

"Why?.." Said Nithogg suspicious. "Why are you always volunteering for this specific prisoner?"

Glade was stumped for a moment, she didn't expect this level of scrutiny. "Because she's our most dangerous prisoner, and I'm your top warden." She said hoping to convince him.

"I have a different theory..." Said Nithogg as he rubbed his chin, already telling that Glade was nervous. "But i'll deal with that later. I want you to escort the other prisoners."

Glade nodded, looking one last time to Aurora with a look of sadness and regret on her face as she wished she could do more.

"Take her away." Nithogg ordered two of his other wardens. They quickly rushed over to Aurora and took her back to the same cave that she first arrived in, where she first met Glade.

As she was being dragged away Aurora was still trying to contain the pain as her foot was throbbing with pain as almost all of her bones there were either broken or cracked.

Once she was taken to her cell the guards threw her in roughly and slammed the door, leaving her alone in the cold dark cave.

Aurora curled up into a ball, once again tending to her foot. Though as she fought through the pain, she began to lose hope. A darkness started to cloud her mind as she began to wonder if she would ever see her friends and family ever again. The situation was looking bleak. There was no way she could get back out into the Arena with her injury. It was over. She had even lost her only ally in this miserable place.

Rather than try to set her bones back into place, Aurora gave up. She laid down on her side and tried to sleep, though, the combination of pain, humiliation, loneliness, and despair prevented her from getting any rest. Though, like always, when she hit her lowest point, she started to miss Cyclone.

Many hours had passed and it was now evening, with the sun beginning to set, though Aurora remained alone in her cave. She wanted to stay strong and be an inspiration of hope but she started to lose hope quickly. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her wings, letting the despair seep in.

Though as she remained alone with her thoughts she heard a very familiar voice.

"Aurora?" said an unknown voice.

Aurora's ear perked up. her heart started to beat rapidly as she started to recognize the voice.

"Cyclone?" said Aurora as she rolled over onto her other side, facing the cell door.

"Aurora!" said Cyclone, who managed to sneak into the camp while it was starting to get dark.

Aurora's heart start to beat rapidly with joy as she couldn't believe her eyes that Cyclone was here. The two dragons quickly moved towards the cell door, and hooked their front claws through the bars as they looked at each other.

"What are you doing here? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is! If they find you you'll be killed or worse! Are you crazy?" Said Aurora, as she was half excited half worried about seeing him.

"I'm not giving up on your Aurora." Said Cyclone. Almost immediately his words started to ring in her heart as she remembered saying the same thing about her when she first arrived her.

She stared at him, feeling an indescribable passion in her heart. "You came back for me..."

Cyclone stared at her as he too hooked his claws through the bar, rearing up on his hind legs to speak with her. "Look, I understand that things haven't always worked out for us. I understand that we can't be together, but I just want you to be safe... I just want you to be happy...I understand if you-" his speech was interrupted as Aurora moved her head through the bars, giving him a long passionate kiss on the lips.

At first Cyclone was taken back, not expecting this, but he quickly closed his eyes as well, pushing back into her kiss as the two enjoyed this one warm moment.

They both parted from the kiss and stared at each other for a moment before Cyclone smiled once more.

"Let's get you out of here." He said using his claws to slash the lock repeatedly until the cell door opened.

Though as Cyclone started to quickly exit the cave he noticed Aurora limping. He quickly rushed over to her to see what was wrong, and he noticed her mangled foot. "What have they done to you?" He said trying to tend to her injury.

"I'm fine..." she said trying to stand but she couldn't do it.

Cyclone looked to her once more. "I'm not leaving you behind." He said, getting his head under her front left leg and wrapping his right wing around her, helping her to limp out of the cage. "Come on. We can make it."

As Aurora limped on with his help, she felt a feeling in heart that she wasn't able to describe. For the first time in her left she felt a certainty in her heart that she had never felt before. She slowly limped forward with him until the reached the exit of the cave.

Surprisingly Nithogg and a small force of dragons awaited them at the entrance to the cave, ready to ambush them.

Cyclone scowled toward Nithogg as he looked up towards the High Dragon.

"Well isn't this romantic?" Said Nithogg mockingly. "The brave chivalrous knight coming to save his beloved princess from the evil fire-breathing dragon? sounds just like the old stories..." Said Nithogg chuckling.

"This isn't one of those stories." Said Cyclone as a crackling thunder roared up above.

Nithogg and his crew quickly looked to the skies. The sun was setting, illuminating the sky with an orange hue as he saw an army of Blue and Red dragons in the sky, including Tempest, the leader of Aurora's clan.

"The mighty Tempest graces me with his presence!" He said with a booming voice that summoned the rest of his clan to his location. "I suppose we'll see who the true High Dragon of Stormheim is!"

"Today justice will prevail!" Boomed Tempest. "Attack!" He said, sending booming ripples through the sky as legions of dragons from Nithogg's and Tempests clan clashed in a tremendous battle.

Aurora and Cyclone looked to each other one last time as all hell started to break loose. The sky began to darken as magical spells and thunderous crackles lit up the sky.

The Battle for Stormheim has begun.


	14. Chapter 14: The Battle of Stormheim

The blue sky of Stormheim which once rained down sunshine and water to nurture the land was now blackened with the clouds of war. Crackling thunder and lightning magic tore the sky to shreds leaving nothing but blackened clouds and a gloomy atmosphere for the battlefield below.

Aurora and Cyclone stayed close together as all hell broke loose around them.

"Come on!" Said Cyclone as he helped Aurora along, trying to get her off the field. Though as he tried, a purple dragon from above unleashed a seeking bolt of lightning towards the two.

Aurora saw the attack coming despite Cyclone being distracted.

"Look out!" Said Aurora as She shielded herself and Cyclone with her wing and charged her wing scales with thunder, protecting them with a lightning barrier which blocked the attack.

In front of them another Dragon swooped down trying to take aim at Cyclone's head. Cyclone quickly spun around in a full circle, whacking the dragon across the face with his spiked tailed and sending the attacker flying back a couple yards.

Realizing that they were in deep trouble, Cyclone began to think strategy. He couldn't fly and leave Aurora alone, nor could they run because of her broken foot.

"Stand back to back!" Announced Cyclone.

"What?" Said Aurora turning her head to look at him.

"You guard our rear, i'll guard our front. I'm not going to leave you here, we fight as one. Quickly press up against my back!" Said Cyclone in a hurry.

Aurora stood back to back with him, standing on three legs, and keeping her bad leg pressed up against his side so she didn't get hurt further. Already she saw many dragons heading for them. Her mouth began to glow brightly and she unleashed a torrent of lightning power in front of her, striking a couple of dragons from the sky. Though a couple of burly and strong dragons started to approach from the rear.

"Rotate!" Called out Aurora.

The two dragons wheeled about, and Cyclone was facing the burly dragon heading for their rear. The two male dragons reared up on their hind legs and interlocked their claws in a struggle as they were equally matched.

In their front another powerful dragon came forward, a magic-user. Aurora readied her defenses. She summoned a wall of lightning in front of her, blocking the bolts of magic heading for her face. Once the attack was blocked Aurora launched the wall forward, which collided with the attacker, exploding and blowing the attacker away.

Cyclone struggled with the big burly dragon, fighting to get the upper hand. Suddenly the purple dragon gave way and fell over, allowing Cyclone to overpower him and slice his throat with his claws. As Cyclone looked down at the dragons body he saw a black burn mark near his side and looked behind him to see Aurora giving him help.

He smiled. "You're getting good at this." Remarked Cyclone.

"Can't hold your own?" She replied back jokingly.

"You got the easy side." He bantered back.

The moment of lighthearted humor was quickly overshadowed as the two dragons looked around, seeing many dead and wounded from both clans litter the ground. The once beautiful grass, trees, and flowers, were now scorched and burning from the constant torrent of lightning magic. Though through the darkness it seemed Nithogg's clan was getting the upper hand in the battle.

Aurora turned her head to see Tempest leading his forces heroically, taking the front line to defend his clan from harm and inspiring them like a true leader. Nithogg was in the back, using his clan members like a meat shield, trying to protect himself like a coward.

"Nithogg!" said Tempest with a booming voice. "You have no honor!" He shouted out through the loud conflict surrounding him.

Nithogg snarled and bared his fangs angrily. "You think yourself so mighty? We'll see who the true Highdragon is!"

The two massive Highdragons collided in a struggle. Their bodies bigger than the other dragons, their magic, more powerful. As the two Highdragons fought the clouds grew darker and the air crackled with ancient fury.

Nithogg tried to swing his claws and slash Tempest but each blow was blocked. Tempest empowered himself with the full fury of the storm and sent out a blast from his chest which struck Nithogg in his chest, blowing off a bunch of scales and leaving him gravely wounded. Nithogg flew back a few yards and landed on his back.

"Aghh...Ack!" Groaned Nithogg as he clenched his teeth in pain. "Protect your Highdragon! Help me!" He cried out.

The forces of Nithogg started to lose hope but they rallied around their leader, shielding him from the rest of Tempest's forces.

Aurora and Cyclone we starting to get overwhelmed. More and more dragons started to surround them as they stood back to back. Aurora continued to keep most of them at bay with her magic while Cyclone dealt with any who got too close to their defenses.

"There's too many!" Aurora called out as she breathed lightning as quick as she could, her power waning.

"Keep fighting! We can't give up!" Said Cyclone as he tried to keep the melee attackers off of them for the time being.

As they tried to keep up their defenses, one member of Nithogg's clan managed to slip past their defenses. The Purple Dragon got between the two of them and shoved Aurora, knocking her over while also grabbing a hold of Cyclone and throwing him away from Aurora.

Already the dragons started to pile up on Cyclone. He fought through the pain and grasped one dragon by the neck while he swatted and pushed back the rest.

Aurora quickly turned her head to see Cyclone being overwhelmed. She scrambled to figure out what to do. She couldn't fire a lightning spell without risking hitting him.

Aurora tried to rear up on her hind legs but quickly fell back down because of her broken foot. She grunted and backed up a bit, pressing her back up against the side of a rocky cave. She reared up on her hind leg, balancing on one foot and raised her wings, letting the power of the storm flow through her.

She then clapped her wings together and reared back down, sending a mighty gust forward. The intense wind blew the dragons off of Cyclone.

Cyclone quickly hooked his claws into the ground to avoid being blown away. After recovering he looked up to Aurora and gave a thankful nod.

As Cyclone attempted to stand up, he felt a tight grasp on his neck. He gasped and squirmed as he was pulled close. He looked up to see Nithogg, who was already bleeding from several injuries but he was now enraged.

Nithogg grasped him hard by the throat and pulled him closer to his face. Aurora gasped and quickly trotted as fast as she could to Cyclone.

"Leave him alone!" Aurora shouted at the top of her longs as she arched her neck, gathering power before she unleashed a torrent of lightning from her mouth directly at Nithogg.

Nithogg, being massive and much more powerful wasn't nearly as affected by her magic as the rest of his clan. He lifted up his wing to block her attack, deflecting her lightning off of his wings in different directions.

With a swift motion, Nithogg spun in a circle quickly, striking Aurora across the face with his tail. The hard strike interrupted Aurora's spell and sent her crashing into the cave side where she fell to the ground.

"Aurora!" Cyclone managed to shout out through Nithogg's grasp. Once Cyclone saw Aurora get struck he was already squirming, getting more enraged by the second.

Nithogg looked to Aurora and then slowly looked back to Cyclone. He watched him struggle and become enraged, a sly grin started to form on his face. "Ohh... I see..." Said Nithogg as his devilish smile grew only bigger.

"You're in love with her! How poetic! The knight in shining armor coming to rescue his princess from the big bad dragon?" Said Nithogg with a dark sense of humor as his grip on Cyclone's throat tightened.

Cyclone continued to buck and squirm defiantly determined to escape somehow. He refused to speak with Nithogg.

"Your little lover over there has caused me quite the headache, Councillor." Said Nithogg, recalling the Dragon in his grasp as the one he had met with in previous years from diplomatic meetings.

"I might just let you live, so you can live with the pain of her death for the rest of your days. That way you will always remember that you were too weak to save her life. What say you to that?" Said Nithogg, determined to get a reaction out of him.

Cyclone gasped for breath one last time before clenching his teeth. Suddenly he tilted his head up and gave a quick breath of lightning in Nithogg's face.

"Argh!" Cursed Nithogg as he dropped Cyclone and brushed his face off from the magical attack.

Cyclone lunged forward and slashed Nithogg's belly with his sharp claws, leaving a bleeding injury.

"Ahh!" Shouted out Nithogg as he quickly covered his stomach with his wings. Not even a second later Nithogg quickly back-hand slapped Cyclone across the face, causing him to fly back a couple yards.

Nithogg charged forward picking Cyclone up in his jaws. He spun around again and tossed Cyclone into the side of the mountain, causing a massive thud.

Cyclone grunted as he scratched and clawed his way back onto his feet. Before he could regain footing Nithogg suddenly grasped him by the neck again and picked him up.

"This is my land! Not even a clever fool like yourself will stop me from taking what is rightfully mine!" Shouted Nithogg in a furious anger. "You are the one who brought these Dragons to my land! It all makes sense now, you rallied the Dragons to save your precious lover!"

Cyclone was on the verge of being crushed as Nithogg's grasp tightened.

"You're responsible for all of this! I'm going to kill you!" Nithogg yelled into his face one last time before inhaling a massive breath. His throat glowed blue as he prepared to unleash a devastating blast of fatal magic to kill Cyclone.

Aurora was slowly but surely coming to. The loud noises of claws clashing and thunder booming in the sky was disorientating her a bit but she managed to pick herself up. Already she was being attacked by more dragons.

Another purple dragon swooped down, trying to slash Aurora with his talons. Aurora ducked, avoiding the claws but perked right back up to bite onto the Dragons tail. Using all of her might she swung him around and slammed him onto the ground, making a loud crashing thud.

She shook herself off and quickly looked around trying to find Cyclone. She grew anxious, and began to panic as she spun around the best she could until she eventually looked forward to see Cyclone about to be killed by Nithogg.

In that moment when she rested her eyes on him, time seemed to slow down. Everything around her seemed to freeze as she had finally reached her moment of truth. She was too far away to strike at Nithogg and save her friend.

For a moment her life flashed before her eyes, instantly recalling the days of being a child, when she and Cyclone played together in the forest as kids. Remembering how they grew up, remembering Cyclone's acension to the council, remembering their first kiss. Now everything was clear. Her destiny was never to be on the council, her destiny was with him.

Almost immediately Aurora summoned all of the power she could muster. The air around her crackled with fury as she absorbed the power of the storm, which started to build up in her chest. Never before had Aurora tapped into such raw power, but her adrenaline had never before pumped this hard. Her heart rate was soaring as she entered a state of panic, but still managed to think clear.

Tapping into this much power was dangerous, as too much lightning buildup could damage her heart, but she knew what she had to do.

She channeled the energy into the ground beneath her and caused an explosion right under her, which shot her into the air heading towards Nithogg and Cyclone.

As Aurora was airborne she started to spin, the Aerodynamic move allowing her to gain more speed. As Aurora flew forward she started to glow brighter and brighter with the power of the storm until her appearance was almost like that of a bolt of lightning.

Once she was there she managed to get in between Cyclone and Nithogg. At that moment her back was facing Cyclone and her chest was facing Nithogg's head. In that split second, Aurora unleashed the power she had stored up inside of her.

A blinding light emanated from her chest, but Cyclone was unaffected as she shielded his eyes with her wings. As the explosion of lightning power burst forth from her chest, all of the other combatants on the field had to shield their eyes from the blinding light.

The explosion struck Nithogg right in the face, giving his head the full blunt of the attack. Almost immediately Nithogg's eyes were put out as the lightning power scorched his eyes from their sockets, and severely burned the rest of his head, leaving dark burns all over.

As Nithogg recoiled back Aurora continued to spiral forward, though unfortunately Nithogg's spell burst forth at the same time Aurora released hers. Aurora took the brunt of Nithogg's massive blast right to the chest. She was then sent flying back until she crashed into the mountain side with such force it left a gaping hole. Aurora fell down the side of the mountain until she landed on her back on the ground.

"My eyes!" Cried out Nithogg in such agony that his voice rang across the battlefield. In that moment, he dropped Cyclone, freeing him. Nithogg covered his eyes but it was no use, he was blind.

"AHHHHH! ARGHH!" Nithogg cursed out as he gnashed his teeth in agony. "Flee! Flee and protect me!" Shouted out Nithogg as he quickly took flight in a random direction, determined to escape the battle with his life.

Cyclone fell to the ground with a thud, but quickly managed to get right back up. He looked over to see Aurora on the ground, fatally wounded.

"Aurora!" shouted Cyclone as he rushed over to her as fast as he possibly could.

When he got to her, he looked down to see her chest charred, crackling with deadly lightning left over from Nithogg's attack. Already her breath was starting to falter and she let out tiny whisps of broken breath.

Cyclone's eyes started to fill up with tears as he cradled her in his arms, holding her head up so she could see him.

"Why! Why did you do it!" He asked as his voice started to break as he held back tears. He was prepared to die for her, but he never expected her to sacrifice herself for him.

Aurora's voice was weak as she was on the verge of death. She coughed a bit which hurt her lungs a great deal. "Do you remember a long time ago when we were sitting in my cave and you told me that you loved me?"

Cyclone couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Tears streamed down his face as he gently held her. He nodded quickly. "I do." He said weakly.

"I realized something... something that I always suspected i felt but never wanted to admit it." Aurora spoke softly.

"What?" Said Cyclone as his heart was breaking.

"That I love you, Cyclone." She said, a small smile lit up her face for a moment. Deep down inside she felt relieved that she could finally say it. All this time she had been struggling to understand why it was so hard to let him go, but now she was finally content in admitting that she loved him.

Cyclone gulped as the sadness overwhelmed him. The tears still filled up his eyes as he stroked her head gently. "I love you too, Aurora..." He said clearing his throat one more time.

"We can be together now... we can be happy... we're going to get out of here." Said Cyclone as he still held on to hope.

Aurora slowly raised her arm to touch his face. She gently caressed his cheek as she took one last look at him.

She gave one last passionate smile. Her touch slowly faded from his cheek as she herself faded and tilted her head back, going limp.

"Aurora?" Said Cyclone as he gently shook her to try and wake her up.

"Aurora?" Said Cyclone shaking her some more as he still held on to hope. "Aurora! Please don't go!"

The tears were streaming down his face faster than ever. "Please no... please..." He said growing more desperate to get her to move.

He started to panic and started to push on her chest repeatedly to hopefully wake her up.

"Help!" Cyclone called out in hopes anyone would hear him.

"Somebody help!" He said growing more desperate.

Cyclone buried his face into her chest and started to weep uncontrollably as he held onto Aurora's body tightly.


	15. Chapter 15: Holding on to Hope

Cyclone mustered all his strength and hoisted Aurora up onto his back. Ths feat alone was very difficult as Aurora was roughly about the same size as him, but Cyclone's adrenaline was racing, increasing his strength. He lifted her up onto his back and began to walk towards Tempest's defenses.

At the Northern part of the battlefield, Tempest and his warriors had created a barrier of Lightning. They stood shoulder to shoulder, warding off the rest of Nithogg's forces.

After Nithogg fled from the field, the rest of his clan started to lose hope which started a chain reaction. More and more purple dragons fled the field, flying after their leader who had abandoned them. Though a few zealous and persistent warriors remained on the field, determined to fight to the last breath.

As Cyclone neared the line of defense he shouted out with all of his might. "Councilor down! Councilor down!" He cried out in desperation as he tried to save his beloved friend. Thankfully, her position on the council and the seriousness of her injuries would allow her to get treatment first.

Tempest stood at the front of the line, helping his warriors to bolster the force field. When he heard the desperate call of Cyclone he turned his head to see Aurora gravely wounded on Cyclone's back.

"Hold the barrier, warriors!" Tempest called out as he turned around and went to assist Cyclone with Aurora.

"Councilwoman, Aurora..." Said Tempest in shock as Cyclone laid her down on the ground. "You were telling the truth." Said Tempest as he remembered Cyclone telling him that Aurora was taken by Nithogg.

Cyclone looked up to the Highdragon, he was clearly emotionally distraught and in a panic. "Please help her!" He said.

Tempest leaned over to place the tip of his claw over Aurora's neck, checking for a pulse. "She's alive but barely... she's dying." Said Tempest with a grim voice. "Her life is fading from her quickly. Quickly let's take her back to camp, Councilwoman Eclipse is already tending to the wounded."

Cyclone immediately helped to hoist Aurora up onto Tempest's back, so the massive dragon could fly her back to camp. Once Tempest took flight Cyclone did as well, remaining right behind him.

As Cyclone flew he couldn't get Aurora's last words out of his mind. "I love you, Cyclone." Cyclone remembered Aurora saying. The words buzzed around in his head without stopping. This was the hardest moment of Cyclone's life. Normally he was always able to keep his composure and maintain his reserve, but he held Aurora so close to his heart that the thought of her dying made him almost fall apart into tears.

Back at camp, Councilwoman Eclipse was slowly getting overwhelmed with amount of wounded that were coming back to her. She tried to tend to the most grievously injured first, while giving the others water and herbal medicine to help ease the pain.

Councilwoman Eclipse was far too old to be fighting, but her years of studying and practicing with herbs and medicine had helped her to become one of the clans most skilled healers.

As she tried desperately to tend to as many people as possible, she heard a loud flapping of wings right outside the infirmary cave. She looked up to see Tempest carrying Aurora on his back, with Cyclone right behind them.

"Oh my..." Said Eclipse, taken back from seeing Aurora so gravely injured. Already Eclipse could tell that Aurora was the most injured person in the cave. She helped Tempest and Cyclone get Aurora onto the ground gently.

"What happened?" Asked Eclipse as she turned her attention toward Aurora.

"She sacrificed herself to save me..." Said Cyclone, his heart still brimming with hope that there was a way they could save Aurora.

Eclipse looked over Aurora's body, seeing the char marks on her chest. Eclipse placed her ear on Aurora's chest to listen to her heart.

"She's fading fast...these injuries are beyond my ability to heal. We don't have enough time." Said Eclipse. "Something isn't right..." Eclipse continued.

"What is it, Councilwoman?" Asked Tempest as he stood at the ready.

Eclipse suspected something. She placed her wings over Aurora's heart, trying to locate the life essence inside of her. "The essence of the storm has left her... the storm essence is what keeps us alive, what's keeps our heart beating, what allows us to use magic. Aurora must have sacrificed almost all of her power to save you, Cyclone."

"What do we do?' Said Cyclone in a hurry.

"Someone would have to extract the essence out of somebody else's body and transfer it into her, but stealing life essence is a dark magic that I have never practiced in." Admitted Eclipse.

For a moment Tempest lowered his head. "I have." said the Highdragon as he admitted it with shame.

Eclipse looked up to him in shock. "What?" she said surprised.

"When I was young I used to be friends with Nithogg. Even at that young age I suspected his intentions were evil. He would use anything he could to achieve his goals. He studied the potent dark magics and tried to teach me how to use them. I learned some of his techniques but once I saw the suffering they caused other people I abandoned the magic and haven't practiced it since." continued Tempest.

"Take it from me." Said Cyclone as he stepped forward. Tempest and Eclipse looked to him in surprise.

"Take as much essence from me as you need to save her." Said Cyclone again.

Tempest looked down to Cyclone. "You can't it's too dangerous. I haven't practiced the magic enough to master it. I might end up taking too much from you which could kill you. I would have to take just enough to save her while also keeping you alive, but i can't guarantee that level of precision."

"Do it, Tempest." Said Cyclone confidently.

"But you could die!" Said Eclipse desperately. Already her heart sank at the thought of losing Aurora but losing Cyclone as well as Aurora would be a burden too great to carry.

Cyclone closed his eyes and thought clearly for a moment. This was his moment of truth. He looked back up to Eclipse and walked over to her. "I would rather die trying to save her than live the rest of my life without her."

Eclipse was stunned by his selfless heroism. She felt an overwhelming sense of both sadness and awe as she realized just how much Cyclone cared for Aurora.

"Please, she's all I have left. If we can't save her life, at least we tried. I'll go to be with her in the afterlife if I have to. One way or another, I'm not leaving her." Said Cyclone as he had never felt more sure about a decision in his entire life.

Eclipse nodded as a few tears managed to fill up her eyes. "Alright. Let's see what we can do."

Tempest nodded in agreement as he respected their choice. Deep down inside he felt nervous because he had never practiced this dark magic before.

Cyclone walked over and laid on his back right next to Aurora.

As Tempest stood over both of them ready to start the spell, Eclipse walked over to Cyclone one last time with a tearful smile on her face. "Regardless of what happens, I want you to know that you're a hero."

Cyclone looked up to her and smiled, thanking her with a nod. "I'm ready, Tempest." Said Cyclone, preparing himself for he realized that this waking moment could be his last.

Tempest nodded and knelt over, placing his claws over Cyclone's chest where his heart was located. He slowly pulled his claws away, extracting a blue essence out of Cyclone's body.

As soon as Tempest began his ritual a searing pain began to strike Cyclone's heart as the overwhelming agony of being drained of life was enough to make even the most stalwart warrior wrench in pain.

Though as he fought through the pain Tempest reached over to tenderly grasp Aurora. He interlocked his claws with her, holding onto her tightly as he began to grunt with pain and gasped for breath.

Cyclones vision started to get blurry. He looked up to the roof of the cave as he tried to draw a breath. His vision getting darker and darker until he took one last deep breath before slipping into unconsciousness.

Even as Cyclone slipped into unconsciousness, his grasp on Aurora never faded.


	16. Chapter 16: A Time to Heal

The sun rose, peaking up over the horizon and covering the land in a blanket of fresh sunlight. Up above, the sky still had scars of black smoke from the Battle of Stormheim, but slowly and surely the land and the sky began to heal from their wounds. The warm sunrays that gently beat down on the land below gave the area a very warm temperature, not too cold, not too hot, just right.

The nearby river babbled and the birds who had previously sought refuge from the flames had returned to chirp and give vibrance to the area once again.

Rather than being hidden away in a damp and cold cave, the wounded and recovering were placed outside, spread out over the camp's grounds so they could enjoy the touch of grass, feel the sweet morning breeze, and catch a breath of fresh air.

For many who had fought in the battle, the smoke had damaged their lungs a bit, but breathing in fresh air made everyone feel better.

Aurora and Cyclone were located a bit north of the main camp area. All of the seriously wounded warriors were given a bit of privacy so they would not be disturbed but Aurora and Cyclone were placed side by side at Cyclones request.

Aurora and Cyclone were laying in the grass, shielded from disturbance by a few surrounding boulders.

Aurora still had her eyes closed, but she started to become aware of her surroundings. She could hear the birds chirping, the grass rustling around her as well as the gentle morning breeze floating past her, which was like music to her ears after the torment she had been through.

Slowly but surely Aurora's eyes opened. At first, the bright light made her close her eyes but she opened them again after adjusting, only to see Cyclone.

At that moment both dragons made eye contact.

"Hey, you." Said Aurora softly with a weakened voice.

"Hey, you." Replied Cyclone back gently as he had never left her side for a moment, waiting patiently for to awaken.

"You saved me..." Said Aurora as she started to smile sincerely for the first time in a long while.

Cyclone nodded. "We're even then." Said Cyclone with a smile, he couldn't resist the urge to be witty even in the most serious of moments.

Aurora chuckled softly as she continued to smile at him, still amused by him after all this time.

Cyclone reached forward to tenderly grasp her front feet with his. Though as he did he could feel she was cold.

Cyclone looked down to her legs and then back up to her. "You're cold." He said, feeling sympathy for her.

Aurora nodded a bit. "A little." She said with her eyes halfway open as she was still in the process of waking up from a long sleep.

Cyclone gently brought his wing over and around her like a blanket. When he did so, Aurora scooted closer to him until her chest was touching his. She then buried her head into his lower neck, feeling safe and secure in his tender grasp as his wings came around her into a gentle protective embrace.

After a moment of tender cuddling, Aurora and Cyclone lifted up their heads and closed their eyes as they rubbed their foreheads against each other in an affectionate nuzzle.

Eclipse was about to enter into their secluded area. "I brought some food, and wate-" She said before cutting herself off. She looked up to see the two dragons sharing an affectionate moment.

Eclipse smiled deeply as her heart lifted with joy, happy to see that the two of them were finally at peace after so much turmoil. She set down their food and water down on the ground near the entrance to their location. She then quietly stepped out to give them a bit of privacy.

Aurora and Cyclone continued to nuzzle each other for a moment. The grass underneath them was so soft and comfortable. The sun's warm rays shined down on them, illuminating Aurora's red scales and Cyclone's blue scales. Another sweet breeze swept through the valley, sending ripples through the grass and gently shaking the leaves on the trees.

Aurora looked up for a moment to look into his eyes. His wings were still around her and she was snuggled up close to his chest. For a moment she couldn't help but frown, thinking about all the grief and disappointment she had put him through.

"Cyclone I'm so sorry about everything." She said, still feeling guilty. "I had no idea-" She tried to say.

Cyclone interrupted her. "There's no need to be sorry. All that matters is that you're safe, and I'm safe, and no one is ever going to separate us again." He reassured.

Aurora smiled once again, feeling better on the inside. She reached up to tenderly touch his cheek with the tip of her wing. "I love you." She said, feeling relieved to say it yet again, as she had been waiting a long time for this.

"I love you too." said Cyclone back to her as he gently cradled her in his arms, stroking her head with his left wing tenderly. He was so happy to have her back again.

The two dragons could see the look in each others eyes. They both moved forward into a loving kiss. It felt so good to finally share a real, passionate kiss.

As they pulled away from the kiss they stared into each others eyes in awe for a moment before Cyclone spoke up.

"Are you still in pain?" Inquired Cyclone as he was determined to keep her as comfortable and healthy as possible. As for himself, he had no major injuries, only bruises. Though after being drained of some of his life, he felt a little weaker than normal, not as strong, but still himself. He would regain his strength in time but for now he focused on her.

"Somewhat." She replied, not trying to be a burden to him.

"Where does it hurt the most?" Cyclone replied as he uncovered her with his wing and looked over her body, seeing bandages all over.

"My feet." She said, as she still felt a soreness in her back legs from her broken foot injury, plus she had been hurt further when she broke her steep fall by landing upright.

Cyclone looked down to her back feet, seeing one foot bandaged, and the other slightly bruised. He began to scoot down to her lower body, picking up her back legs. He very tenderly grasped and started to massage her feet.

Aurora looked down to see what he was doing. She didn't want to inconvenience or trouble him in any way. "Cyclone you don't have to that." She said, rolling onto her back and lifting her head up to see him.

Cyclone shook his head. "I want to." He said looking up to her. "Just lay your head back and relax, you've been through hell these past couple of days. You need to relax." he reasoned.

Aurora thought to herself, agreeing with what he said. Though she couldn't deny the massage definitely felt good and took a great deal of stress off of her. "Alright." She said with a smile and leaned her head back, laying on the ground to look up at the sky. She closed her eyes and let out a relaxed sigh as Cyclone resumed to massage her feet.

Cyclone tried to start a conversation as he continued his work. "So, what do you plan to do next?" He said wondering what her plan was for the future now that they were a couple again.

Aurora kept her eyes close as she enjoyed the massage. "I'm quitting the council. I don't need a fancy high rank and power to be happy. I'm happy being at a low position as long as I get to be with you." She reasoned. "Plus, it is very time consuming. Now we have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves."

Cyclone nodded, happy with her answer. For now, Aurora felt at peace. As her eyes were closed she listened to the chirping birds, the morning breeze, and the rustling leaves. Already the pain in her feet was starting to ease up.

For a moment Aurora's back left foot twitched a bit and Aurora chuckled to herself as Cyclone managed to touch a sweet spot on her foot where she was ticklish.

Cyclone couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Unbelievable. You're telling me a lightning-breathing dragon warrior slash fearless arena gladiator has ticklish feet?" He said with an amused smirk.

Aurora shrugged shyly. "Everyone has their weakness." She admitted..

"Not a weakness this adorable." Cyclone teased as he tickled her foot one more time.

Aurora laughed, kicking her legs slightly. "Hey!" She said. She turned and crawled over to him, pushing him over onto his back as she crawled on top of him and pinned him down.

"I don't like to be tickled." She said playfully as she looked down to him.

Cyclone shrugged. "Too late, I already know your weakness. I'll be sure to keep a mental note." He said tilting his head quirkily.

"If I wasn't so tired I'd make you eat those words." Aurora responded.

"Maybe another time?" Replied Cyclone as he smiled, enjoying playfully bantering with her.

Aurora chuckled at him. "You know it." She then gently lowered her head to rest on his chest. Cyclone brought his wing around her as she laid on top of him. "Today was just what I needed, Cyclone. Thank you for being here for me when I woke up." She said, appreciating all the support, comfort, and smiles he had brought to her since she awoke.

Cyclone nodded. "Of course, Aurora. I'll always be here for you, in the good times and bad. From here on out, every challenge that awaits us in the future will be easy as long as we have each other." He said holding out his front foot to her.

Aurora took in his words happily. When she saw him holding out his front foot, she extended hers aswell, interlocking claws with him in a gentle hold. As they held talons, Aurora closed her eyes as she rested her head on his chest.

Cyclone leaned his head back, keeping his wing over her.

After a few minutes of quiet relaxation, Councilwoman Eclipse once again peeked in to make sure she wasn't interrupting anything. "I'm here to check up on Aurora's injuries." She said.

Cyclone looked up and nodded. "Please come in." He said as he and Aurora both slowly sat up straight.

Eclipse began to touch Aurora all over her body, searching for any spots of pain. As she began to inspect Aurora she looked up to Cyclone. "How are you feeling?" She inquired.

"I feel weak. Not tired or in any pain, I just feel like i'm not as strong as before. It's hard to get up. Normal tasks that I could easily accomplish before seem much more difficult now." reported Cyclone.

"You're lucky to be alive." Remarked Eclipse. "You're still recovering from having your life essence drained. You should be back to normal soon but you appear fine. I have to say, Cyclone, you are one brave dragon for doing what you did. There aren't many people I know with the courage to do what you did." She said as she continued to press all over Aurora's body for other injuries.

Cyclone smiled and looked down to Aurora. "I did it for her. She's everything to me."

When Cyclone finished speaking Aurora blushed a bit, flattered. She leaned her head against him, happily.

Eclipse looked up for a moment to see the two share an affectionate gesture. "I'm happy that you both finally found what you were looking for. You are perfect for each other." She said as she finished examining Aurora.

"Well everything appears to be alright. You definitely need to stay and rest, Aurora. You should be able to walk in about a day or two, but in order to fly you might need a bit more time." Eclipse added.

"What do you mean?" Aurora inquired.

"You've broken a couple of bones in your wings. I set them back into place while you were unconscious." Said Eclipse.

"Will I be able to fly again?" Asked Aurora, seeming a bit worried.

Eclipse sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, I can't tell for sure. I've seen some people recover from this kind of injury, others haven't been so fortunate... but I know you're very strong, Aurora. The injury wasn't too severe, and I believe you can make a full recovery."

Aurora nodded and looked down to the ground a bit disappointed.

"These things take time to heal. I'm sure Cyclone will help you to get back to your normal self, right?" Asked Eclipse.

Cyclone nodded. "Of course."

"Good." Said Eclipse. "One other thing though, Tempest also sent me here to deliver a message. We lost a good deal of clan members in the battle. We need every able body to help collect food for the clan. We may need you guys to go out and hunt for the clan so we can feed the children and the wounded. Your wounds come from magic, Aurora. While yes, you almost died, Magical wounds heal much faster than physical ones. There are other members of our clan who have lost legs, wings, and have very deep cuts that will take much longer to heal. We need your help as soon as you feel up to the task."

"Whatever you need, Eclipse." Said Aurora. "We'll do what we can."

Eclipse nodded. "In the meantime, you two should rest and enjoy yourselves. You've been through alot lately." She said as she stood up and prepared to leave them be.

"Thank you, Eclipse." Said Aurora with a smile.

Eclipse nodded politely to her and left the two dragons alone once again.

Cyclone looked down to Aurora. He could tell something was wrong with her. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked.

Aurora shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Hey." Said Cyclone as he gently placed his wings around her, trying to turn her so she could face him. "You can tell me anything. I love you and I want to help you." He said kindly.

Aurora looked up to him. "What if I never fly again?"

"That's not going to happen." Cyclone reassured. "I'm going to help you every step of the way. Do you trust me?" He asked.

Aurora nodded. "Of course I trust you."

Cyclone smiled back and stretched out his wings to her, offering her a hug. Aurora happily accepted it, though deep down inside she felt conflicted. She was so happy to be with Cyclone again, but the thought of never flying again, never feeling the wind at her back, never seeing the beautiful land from above was a terrifying thought.


	17. Chapter 17: A Romantic Evening (Part 1)

A week had passed since the great Battle of Stormheim. Once more, the land was flourishing with youthful vibrance and renewed color. The sky was, for once, untainted with black smoke. Many white clouds filled the sky, with the occasional gap in between each one, allowing sunbeams to gaze down upon the land. It was a nice day, warm and sunny.

In the Meadow below, Aurora and Cyclone were running across the land. Cyclone had his wings around Aurora, trying to boost her up as he was helping her to fly once again.

"Flap your wings, I know you can do it, Aurora!" Called out Cyclone as he was attempting to help lift her up.

"I think I got it..." Said Aurora with uncertainty. For a moment she did make it into the air, but the attempt quickly failed and Aurora fell to the ground, landing on her back with a thud.

Aurora sighed, rolling her eyes as she had grown tired of falling and missed the feeling of the wind on her back as she soared.

Cyclone walked over to her and offered to help her up. "Hey you did good. It was better than last time." He said trying to keep her spirits up.

Aurora nodded. "I suppose you're right. I was able to stay in the air for a moment. Thank you for helping me, Cyclone." She said as she accepted his offer and was helped back up onto her feet.

Once Aurora got up they started to walk side by side as they took a break from trying to fly for a while. The past week had done wonders for their relationship. Every second they spent together they grew closer and closer. Already a spark was glowing in their hearts, a little flame that yearned to be even more close than they were now.

The two dragons walked and talked to each other for what seemed like hours. The sky began to glow an orange and yellow color as the sun started to set. It was beautiful.

"After spending all this time on your feet instead of in the air, I would imagine you've become quite the master at running?" Asked Cyclone.

Aurora chuckled. "Perhaps. Why? Do you wish to test me?" She inquired.

"I always wish to test you. That's what makes you so fun." Replied Cyclone.

"If you insist, I will have you know I have become quite the master at running. If you wish to test me, Then I shall race you to the forest." Said Aurora, though without even hesitating she already burst forward into a full dash.

Cyclone was caught off guard by her sudden dash and quickly started to chase after her. Though running was difficult for him. Whenever he was in a hurry to get somewhere fast he would always fly, never run. Nevertheless he quickly pursued her.

Aurora laughed as she had a more than healthy lead ahead on him. Though as the forest was within her sights, she looked up to see Cyclone flying above her. "You just couldn't resist cheating could you?" Said Aurora, amused.

"All's fair in love and war, my dear. I thought you've grown accustomed to this universal truth by now?" Replied Cyclone as he hovered over top of her, getting ready to pass her up.

Aurora nodded. "Yeah, I suppose I have..." She replied, thinking for a moment. Before Cyclone could pass her, she jumped up into the air and grasped him by his back ankle.

Cyclone looked behind him to see her grasp onto his leg. "Oh boy..." he said before he was quickly tossed to the ground. The two of them fell to the ground and started to roll. After a couple seconds of rolling they both reached the forest and came to a stop, laying side by side under the shade of the trees.

"Tie." said Aurora.

"Clever girl, hmm?" Responded Cyclone with a smile as he stood up and walked over to her and laid down, his lower half on the ground and his upper half laying down on her chest.

"You know I am." Said Aurora as she welcomed his romantic gesture. Almost immediately the two started kissing as they drew closer to a warm embrace. Though their playful attitude quickly turned into a very passionate romantic one.

After being together for a week, the two dragons had gotten more comfortable with sharing their feelings and expressing what was in their heart. Showing more emotion than normal was no longer embarrassing.

They kissed each other for a few minutes until Aurora looked up to see the sky starting to illuminate with warm colors. "Let's go watch the sunset." Said Aurora, thinking it would be romantic and enjoyable for them both.

Cyclone nodded. "As you wish." He said as he got up and helped her up once again. Aurora accepted his offer and got up once again.

After Aurora got up, they exited the entrance of the forest and started to walk up the high hill which eventually lead to a cliff.

When they arrived, they were both taken away by the view. They sat down at the cliff's edge and looked out. In Front of them was the ocean, and the sun was setting immediately behind it, making the water look like an ocean of pure orange. The natural sounds of waves crashing against the shore and the sea breeze fluttering in the air was already beautiful enough.

Aurora leaned her head against Cyclone as she marveled at the beauty of the orange ocean. "It's so beautiful, Cyclone..." She said, already her mood shifting to a peaceful romantic one.

Cyclone nodded and leaned his head against hers as well. "It truly is. Though you act like you're seeing it for the first time? I thought you used to come here daily?" Asked Cycloned.

Aurora nodded. " I did. But there is something about Nithogg's camp...being imprisoned there felt like a hundred years...maybe more. I started to wonder to myself if I would ever see the beauty of the land ever again. Every second there felt like a year..." Said Aurora.

Cyclone quickly stopped her. "It's alright Aurora. You're home now. You don't need to think about that place any more. You're here with me, and that is all that matters." He said wrapping a wing around her to comfort her.

Aurora smiled and closed her eyes as Cyclone hugged her. She tried her best to forget about what happened to her and just focused on him for now. "You're right. I've never felt as peaceful and comfortable as I do now." Said Aurora with her eyes still closed.

Aurora embraced her surroundings with open eyes. The gentle sea breeze glided over her wings and the radiating color of the sunset lit up her scales with a bright orange color. It wasn't too hot, nor too cold. Everything about the moment was perfect and she turned to Cyclone.

"You make me so happy, Cyclone. There is no place i'd rather be than right here with you." Said Aurora as she leaned her head against him and smiled with content.

Cyclone leaned his head against hers as well. "As long as I am with you, it doesn't matter where we are, I will always be happy."

Their foreheads touched and they began to nuzzle each other affectionately with their eyes closed.

As they cuddled affectionately, Aurora could notice he was more energetic and romantic today than he had been the past week. "Is something on your mind, Cyclone?" She said as she brought her head to the base of his neck and rested her head there.

Cyclone smiled and hesitated a moment before he was ready to speak. "There is. I want to ask you a question that has been on my mind for some time now." He finished.

"Of course, ask away." She responded.

Cyclone pulled back from the nuzzle for a moment to tenderly touch her cheek and tilt her head up a bit towards him so they could look into each other's eyes.

As they looked at each other, they could see the orange reflection of the sunset's light in each other's eyes.

"Will you be my mate?" Asked Cyclone with much sincerity, as everything he wanted hinged on this one crucial moment.

Aurora's heartbeat suddenly started to beat faster as she felt a rush of energy race through her body. Already her scales started to flicker as she grew with excitement. After all they had been through to be together, this moment seemed inevitable and she was ready.

"I will, Cyclone. With all my heart." She said almost in tears as she had never been more sure of a decision in her life up until this point.

Cyclone couldn't help but get a bit emotional as well. He quickly wrapped his wings around her, almost lifting her up as he landed a passionate loving kiss on her lips. "I'll never let you go..." He said sincerely as a tear managed to fall from his eyes.

"Neither will I..." Said Aurora as she closer her eyes and slowly started to fall over onto her back.

Cyclone fell on top of her and the two began to romantically cuddle and kiss for as long as the sun would give them light.

They embraced each other for the first time as true mates. Though as they continued to love on each other for a while, the spark in their hearts started to grow even larger.

Suddenly they felt a fiery passion deep down inside... their desire to become even closer was about to come true.


	18. Chapter 18: A Romantic Evening (Part 2)

**-WARNING: This chapter is rated 18+ for mature content.-**

In the midsts of their passionate embrace, they began to move their wings about, tenderly rubbing and grasping onto each others bodies. In the heat of the moment, both Aurora and Cyclone weren't paying much attention to their actions, but instead they were more focused on each other. At one point Cyclone brought his grasp down to Aurora's hip.

At that moment, Aurora blushed and Cyclone pulled back nervously, hoping he didn't make her uncomfortable, but he was relieved to see that she was still smiling happily at him.

There was no doubt that the thought was on both of their minds. They both smiled at each other for a moment. When Cyclone realized that neither of them were afraid, he spoke up.

"Do you think we should do it?" He said with a bit of excitement in his voice.

Aurora couldn't help but blush but she chuckled and nodded with equal enthusiasm. Though she started to look around, making sure that they were alone.

Cyclone also began to look around the area, wanting to be absolutely sure they were alone. "Quickly, to the forest's edge!" said Cyclone excitedly.

Aurora quickly got up and the two began to run towards the forest for shelter. While they ran, their heartbeat started to rise with nervous anticipation.

Once they reached the forest's edge, they quickly turned around and embraced each other with their wings as they immediately came together in a hard kiss. Though a few moments after they embraced they lost their footing and began to fall over.

They landed gently on the soft grass with Aurora laying on her back and Cyclone laying on top of her. They kept their embrace the entire time. Aurora and Cyclone began to share a bit of tongue in their kiss, their long dragon tongues quickly wrapping together in a beautiful romantic twist.

Down below, Cyclone's glowing red member began to protrude from his lower body as he started to get extremely aroused. Just like a male dragon's genitals, a female dragon's parts were hidden inside of her until they were stimulated enough.

As they continued to push and twist their tongues together, Cyclone began to tenderly rub his aroused member near Aurora's sweet spot, trying to stimulate her.

Once Aurora felt the touch of something poking in between her legs, she began to feel an exciting chill run up her spine as her skin crawled with anticipation. She began to blush a hot red.

After a few more moments of rubbing, Aurora's pink nether region began to pop out of her body until it was completely exposed. Once it was, Aurora let out a sigh of relief as she was just as aroused as he was.

Without a moment's hesitation, Cyclone began to slowly push his glowing red member deep into her nethers. Once Aurora felt him penetrating her, she pulled back from the kiss and let out a deep satisfied sigh. She laid her head back with her eyes closed as her heartbeat began to soar with euphoric pleasure.

As she laid her head back, Cyclone brought his head down to start gently kissing the base of her neck and began to work his way up. As he did so, he finally pushed his member into her as deep as he could go. Once he was fully inside of her, he began to pull out just perfectly slow enough for Aurora to experience a monumental amount of pleasure.

As Aurora gasped from the pleasure of the sensation, Cyclone kept on kissing her neck, working his way up her throat, listening to the sound of her breath and her heart beat.

Aurora reached forward and placed her wings on his chest, feeling his muscular structure. Her wings began to shake a bit as she was in a whole new world of satisfaction.

Cyclone began to experience more and more pleasure with each thrust. Once again he slowly pulled his member out of her nethers and slid right back in, starting to work into a rhythm that gradually started to increase in speed.

His lips worked their way all the way up her neck until he reached her cheek and gave her a little affectionate peck on her cheek. Once their heads were near each other again, Aurora wrapped her wings around the back of his head and pushed him forward into another passionate kiss.

Their lips pressed against each other with a mighty force as they resumed their tongue play. Every once in awhile they had to part from the kiss to catch a breath. Though for two dragons who were madly in love, the sound of the other breathing was music to their ears.

As Cyclone started to get more excited he began to greatly pick up his speed. He pulled out and thrusted back into her again and again, increasing very quickly in speed. Both his member and her nethers began to pulsate wildly with pleasure.

After having caught their breath they pushed their heads against each other, giving each other very rough but very affectionate and loving nuzzles. Aurora rubbed her forehead all over his forehead and his cheek, keeping her eyes closed the whole time as she inhaled and exhaled with increasing frequency.

"Cyclone..." muttered Aurora as she kept her eyes closed. Just saying his name out loud made her feel good inside.

"Yes, I'm here, Aurora." He responded as he continued to show her as much love and affection as he could.

Cyclone's thrusting began to pick up faster and faster until he was at max speed, pumping into her about six times a second.

Aurora bit her lip a bit as she tried to contain herself from the feeling. She started to grow more excited as well and started bucking her hips upwards into his, meeting him halfway with each thrust.

Cyclone was overwhelmed with how much love her felt toward her, and the pleasure he was receiving from her body. He kissed her on the forehead, and then on her cheek, and again on her nose, covering her face with a barrage of kisses. This made Aurora very happy as she smiled greatly and lifted up her head to allow him to get to her chin and upper neck.

In the midst of their steamy romantic gestures, they began to roll around a bit. Now Aurora was on top of him, giving him passionate kisses all over his face while her front feet felt the muscular outline of his body. He was in such perfect physical shape that it was highly attractive to her.

Cyclone enjoyed the feeling of her feet on his chest. His chest was heaving with heavy breaths as he was bucking his hips up into her as she was now bucking her hips downwards to meet him.

Eventually they rolled until they were both laying on their sides, though this didn't stop Cyclone from wildly pumping into her pink sweet spot as fast as he possibly could. While they were in this position they pressed their foreheads against each other and began to pant heavily with exhaustion and pleasure.

As Cyclone reached max speed with his thrusting, his member began to pulsate wildly inside of her, signaling that he was about ready to climax. He quickly began to roll with her once again until he was on top of her again. Now that he was getting ready to finish, he needed her to be still.

He pressed his front feet against her own and very gently pushed hers to the ground, pinning her. Aurora didn't mind a bit, in fact it was even more arousing for her.

"Hold onto me..." Said Aurora in between exhausted pants.

"Of course..." responded Cyclone tenderly.

Cyclone wrapped Aurora with both of his wings, holding her close to his chest almost like he was cradling her. Once he had her in his grasp, he buried his head into her shoulder and focused on his last couple of thrusts.

Aurora leaned her head back once again as he grasped her. She opened up her mouth and began to exhale heavily with euphoria.

Cyclone bucked his hips a few more times until it was time for his last thrust. He quickly plunged deep into her nethers on last time. Cyclone needed her to be perfectly still for this crucial part and whispered it into her ear.

Aurora quickly stopped moving for a moment as Cyclone began to climax, pumping his seed deep into her. His member pumped hot juices into her in short little bursts. Aurora made sure to be as still as she could during this moment until she too began to climax. She closed her eyes and let her head hit the ground as let out a pleased groan.

Cyclone let out a long exhausted exhale as he continued to pump his seed into her body for a few more moments until he was sure every last drop was inside of her. Once this was done, he slowly began to pull his pulsating member out of her body until he was completely out.

Once their genitals were separated, Cyclone rolled off of her and landed on his back, laying on his back, shoulder-to-shoulder beside her.

They didn't have time for words, they were completely and totally out of breath. Both Aurora and Cyclone laid still, breathing through their mouths with very deep and very fast inhales and exhales. Their chests heaved up and down as they panted.

After a while of heavy panting and catching their breath they could finally say words.

"That was..." said Cyclone as he was cut off by his breathing. "Incredible." he finished.

Aurora nodded. "It was amazing." she said resuming her breathing.

By this time, the sun had almost completely set, and darkness was starting to sweep over the land.

After a few minutes, their breathing went back to a normal rate and they could breath through their noses once more.

They rolled off of their backs and rolled towards each other, laying on their sides as they looked into each other's eyes.

"You make me so happy, Cyclone... I'm so glad I have you as a mate..." Said Aurora emotionally.

"I'm happy to be your mate too... I've loved you for as long as I can remember..." He said tenderly touching her cheek with his front foot.

"Are you cold?" Asked Cyclone, always thinking about her first.

Aurora nodded. "Yes." she said with a smile as she couldn't stop looking into his eyes.

Cyclone wrapped one wing around her and pulled her close to him until their chests were touching, sharing their body heat. Cyclone gave her one last kiss on her forehead before completely wrapping her in his wings, protecting her like a treasure.

Aurora closed her eyes and tucked her head into the base of his neck, feeling warm and protected in his loving embrace.

As their chests touched each other, their still-racing hearts aligned. Both of their hearts were beating rapidly with love. The two dragons could feel their hearts beating against each other, almost as if they were sharing a single heart.


	19. Chapter 19: The Hunt is on

Another warm and sunny day graced the valley below. The birds were already up and chirping as the rest of the land started to awaken. It was a very cloudy day, yet the sun still found a way to break through the clouds and shine on.

Aurora and Cyclone were laying in the middle of the grassy green valley, lying on their backs next to each other as they looked up to the clouds above. After the passionate night they spent together, it felt good to relax for a bit before they got to work.

"That one looks like a rabbit." Said Aurora as she pointed toward a cloud up above.

Cyclone huffed, amused. "I don't see it. I must not be very good at this."

"You just have to use your imagination. Don't just see the clouds as clouds." replied Aurora.

"Well you always were the more imaginative one." said Cyclone.

"I suppose I just have a deep appreciation for nature. I know where to look to find beauty." said Aurora.

"I know where to look too." answered Cyclone. "It's right beside me." He said.

Aurora chuckled a bit. "You trying to butter me up today with compliments?" she inquired.

Cyclone rolled over till the upper half of his body was laying on top of her while the other half was still on the grass. "Perhaps. What if I was?" he responded back.

"I would say you're doing a good job. But you could be more original." she said cockily.

Cycloned rubbed his chin for a moment and nodded. "I suppose so... though it's often hard to find the right words when you're so irresistable." He said lowering his head for a kiss.

Aurora accepted his kiss and pushed her lips back into his for a moment. Before things started to escalate, she placed a foot on his chest, pushing him back away from her. "Ah, ah ah... don't get too carried away, remember, we have to go hunting for the clan before everyone else wakes up." she said, not wanting to get too distracted.

"Oh i do hate it when the clan comes between us." said Cyclone with a sarcastic joking tone.

"If we finish early we might have a bit of free time ..." she said as she placed the tip of her claw on his chest and circled it around his heart a few times before bringing it up to his chin. "to have some fun..." she said seductively, hoping to entice him.

Cyclone grinned a bit, noticing that she was toying with him, but it working, and he also enjoyed it. "Well what are we waiting for?" he said, offering to help her up quickly so they could get started. The seductive offer she gave him was already enticing him to hurry up.

Once Aurora was on her feet she smiled and chuckled to herself at how easy it was to motivate a male dragon using feminine charm.

"I will say though." started Aurora. "Since i've lost my ability to fly, hunting prey has gotten vastly more difficult...and slightly less interesting." She said as she and Cyclone were already heading out into the valley, looking for deer or cattle to take down.

Cyclone shrugged. "I find it refreshing. All my life i've hunted prey from the air, but hunting from the ground is more of a challenge. You know i've always enjoyed challenges."

"You don't have to hunt with me on the ground. In fact it would be better if you hunted on your own from the sky, that way the clan would have more food quicker." said Aurora.

Cyclone shook his head. "I don't want to leave you alone, especially when you're injured."

"I can take care of myself. Do you forget that you're looking at an ex-gladiator arena champion?" Aurora said cockily.

"I thought you told me you cheated with the help of someone else." Said Cyclone, cleverly trying to poke fun at her.

"Oh shut up." she said rolling her eyes.

Cyclone shrugged and smiled. "If you insist. I'll meet you back here in a few hours."

Aurora nodded to him. "Good luck. I love you!"

"I love you too." He replied back to her. The two shared a quick kiss on the lips before Cyclone flapped his wings and took off to the sky.

Aurora stretched her legs and cracked her neck a bit. "Alright let's do this." She said to herself before beginning to trot off. She wanted to prove that she could hunt just as good as Cyclone could even if she was grounded.

She began to pick up her pace into a slight run as her eyes scanned the valley, looking for any grazing animals. She grass in the valley was so vibrant it was almost like crossing an ocean of pure green. As she looked up to the sky, the sky was also as blue as could be. All around her were the bright beautiful colors of nature which helped her to be more comfortable despite her sadness at being unable to fly.

As she continued to run she already felt at peace with nature. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind in her face, the air gently gathering beneath her wings, and the feeling of soft grass under her feet. Though hunting on the ground would be difficult. Her body wasn't built for subtlety. It was almost impossible to crouch low to the ground and stalk something with her giant wings getting in the way, and her bright red scales gleaming in the green valley definitely didn't help her either.

The only way she could hunt down her prey was to spot it, and run faster than it. After a while of running, Aurora spotted a nearby grazing cattle. Already she grinned, feeling as though she had gotten lucky and may be able to prove herself to Cyclone after all.

It didn't take long for the cow to perk its ears and listen to the sound of a large lumbering dragon heading straight for it. Almost immediately the cow began picking off into a frantic gallop.

Once Aurora saw the cow running for its life, she had to pick up her speed. Running was already difficult enough. She tried her to best to keep up but it seemed like her and the cow were dead-even in running speed.

Aurora grunted and clenched her teeth as she tried running faster and faster. Eventually she was able to catch up to the cow, and was within pouncing range. Without a moment's hesitation, Aurora leaped for the kill, but as she pounced, the wind quickly gathered under her wings, pushing her not-so-aerodynamic form back, causing her to miss her pounce.

Aurora fell to the ground and began to roll a bit before coming to a stop. She was now laying on her belly with all her legs and wings sprawled out on the ground.

She looked up to see her prey escaping and started to grow irritated. "Damn it!" Aurora cursed, pounding the ground with her clenched talons.

In front of her she saw a rabbit casually hopping about as if it wasn't afraid of her. Aurora quickly lunged forward trying to pounce on the rabbit and kill it but once again her large form got in the way of her kill and the rabbit had just enough time to escape into a nearby hole.

Up above, Aurora felt something touching her wings. She once again looked up to see a couple of birds casually perked up on the top of her wings almost as if they were using her wings as a tree banch while they peacefully began chirping.

She growled and quickly tried to lunge forward and get a bite out of a bird with her maw but once again her large form slowed her down and the birds were able to escape.

Aurora started to grow irritated. It was almost as if the creatures of the valley were mocking her by casually strolling around and surrounding her as if they were not threatened by her. It was frustrating to be surrounded by animals that she couldn't catch because of her size.

She laid down on her belly in the grass with her legs and wings sprawled out as she rested her chin on the soft grass. She sighed to herself in disappointment.

Back behind her, Aurora felt something touching the bottom of her feet. She perked her head up and turned around behind her to see a fox licking the bottom of her foot, gliding its tongue over her heels. Aurora considered trying to pounce on the fox but she knew it would end the same way, with the fox getting away because of her slowness and size. The fox looked up at her ready to bolt at a moments notice if she tried to catch it.

Aurora sighed, deciding to give up and rested her head back on the ground again letting the fox continue to do whatever it wanted to her while she tried to rest. Once the fox saw that she was laying back down, he lowered his head back down to her feet and started licking once again, gliding his tongue over her toes.

Aurora knew that she couldn't use Magic to scorch her prey, otherwise it would become inedible. "I can't cook my prey with magic...but that doesn't mean I can't catch them with the help of magic..." She thought to herself, grinning a bit.

Aurora stood back up again and the fox quickly retreated back into the forest. Aurora wasn't interested in a fox, she wanted a big prize. She started searching the valley yet again until she came across across a wild grazing stag. Before letting herself be discovered, Aurora channeled the magic within her to cause a lightning bolt to strike from the sky, zapping the patch of ground directly in front of the stag.

The beast quickly backed up and began to run in the opposite direction of the lightning strike, running right towards Aurora.

Aurora quickly saw her opportunity and began to charge at her prey. Once the stag spotted Aurora it immediately stopped and turned the other way to begin running. Aurora started to call down multiple lightning bolts from the sky to strike the area all around, confusing and disorientating the stag, causing it to be hesitant as to which way it should go.

Aurora took advantage of this opportunity to pounce on the stag while it hesitated. With one quick swoop of her claws and wings, Aurora collapsed on the stag, breaking its neck almost instantly before rolling off of it to stand up once again.

She huffed, proud of herself. Though she knew that a Dragon's magic was only to be used in case of an emergency or for self-defense, but she was frustrated and wanted to prove that she could hunt by herself without the need of wings.

Aurora hoisted the animal's carcass up on her back and carried it for about a mile, ready to meet up with Cyclone at their original starting point.

Though when she arrived her jaw dropped in disbelief when she saw her mate casually relaxing on his back next to a giant pile of prey. Four cows, two stags, a handful of rabbits, and a wild boar.

"Oh hey!" said Cyclone perking his head up. Deep down inside he knew that he had the advantage over his mate when it came to hunting, and figured that she had a rough miserable time hunting. Though he couldn't resist lightfully poking fun at her.

"Are you carrying your load one at a time, or is that the only one?" responded Cyclone as he tilted his head cockily.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Just wondering, did you hunt from the sky or ground?" she inquired.

Cyclone got up and walked over to her. "Come on, I'm just playing with you." He said placing one wing around her shoulder. "I think you did a great job given your limited resources."

"I just want to fly again, Cyclone. I'm tired of tripping and falling and running. I just feel inadequate nowadays. My clan needs me and all I can do to help is catch one lonely stag." Said Aurora.

"You're not inadequate, Aurora." said Cyclone, hugging her to make her feel better. "You're perfect just the way you are. You aren't letting your clan down either, remember that you got your injury trying to defend your clan. You got your injury saving my life. You're a hero to your clan, and more importantly you're a hero to me and I love you very much." Said Cyclone hugging her a bit tighter, hoping to lighten her spirits.

Aurora's irritation seemed to fade away almost instantly. Cyclone's words were so kind, helpful, and inspiring. Deep down inside, Aurora began to forget her problems and started to be thankful that she had such a loving and caring mate. She wrapped her wings around him aswell, hugging him back with a smile on her face.

"That's my girl." Said Cyclone happily as he patted her on the back a bit as they hugged. "Now let's get these animals back to the clan before they spoil. What do you say?" He suggested.

Aurora nodded. "You're right. Thank you Cyclone for your kind words." she said happily.

"Don't mention it." Said Cyclone with a slick smile as he pulled away from the hug to start hoisting dead animals onto his back. "Now then..." he said already having two animals slung over his back. "Let's feed our clan." he finished.

Back at the camp there was a big commotion. Councilwoman Eclipse was trying to keep everyone calmed down by slowly pushing them back from the chaos that was happening in the middle of the campgrounds.

When Aurora and Cyclone arrived, they both tilted their heads, wondering what all the fuss was about. They were carrying the hefty load of animals on their backs. Once they set their prey down on the ground, they both went up to Councilwoman Eclipse.

"Whats going on, Eclipse?" Asked Aurora.

Eclipse appeared stressed out and frustrated but even in the most tense situations, she was able to remain calm and keep her warm-hearted demeanor. "There's a purple dragon in our camp, and its stirring everybody up. She's asked to speak with the councillors of our clan but as you can see everyone is still bitter towards purple dragons after the fiasco that happened a month ago." Said Eclipse.

Aurora perked an eyebrow and left Cyclone's side for a moment to work her way into the crowd.

Cyclone looked to his side to see his mate walking into the crowd. He quickly followed after her. "Aurora? Whats going on?" He said curiously as he and Aurora worked their way through a mob of angry clan members.

"Hold on a second..." Said Aurora as she worked her way forward through the mob until she was at the front. Once she reached the front she gasped and her jaw dropped to the floor.

"What's wrong? Do you know who that is?" Asked Cyclone again.

"Glade?!" Said Aurora with a bewildered look on her face.


	20. Chapter 20: The Speech

The commotion of the angry crowd grew louder and louder. After Aurora spotted her old ally, Glade, at the center of the chaos, she couldn't help but step forward. When Cyclone saw Aurora darting toward the center of the crowd, he debated pulling her back but he decided to let this play out.

"Stop stop stop!" Yelled Aurora with a vigorous voice to get the clan to calm down. Once she had the clans attention to spoke up to make her speech.

"I sympathize with all of you. Many of you have lost friends, family, and loved ones at the hands of Nithogg and his purple dragons. I understand your rage and your passion for revenge, but this Dragon right here is not who you think she is." Said Aurora.

Already the members of the clan were looking at each other and muttering to themselves quietly as Aurora continued her speech.

"When I was imprisoned by Nithogg, one of his jail wardens tried to sexually assault me. I couldn't do much to defend myself as I was tied up. Before anything could happen, Glade came to my rescue and stopped the warden from having his way with me." Said Aurora as she looked toward Glade with a nod.

"Some time later Nithogg decided that I would be one of his gladiators who would fight and kill for his sadistic amusement. When I spat defiantly in his face Glade once again protected me from being killed by distracting Nithogg. When I was in the arena I had no business winning any of those fights but Glade snuck down into my pen and told me how I could defeat them. She told me their weaknesses, how to exploit them, and how to win. Without her I would be dead." She said.

Already the crowd seemed to calm down. Before they were all standing up as if they were ready to pounce but now they were all sitting down as they listened to their former Councillor.

"I experienced the same feelings that you are experiencing right now. How could a purple dragon, a servant of Nithogg possibly be anything but pure evil? Growing up we were taught to never trust a member of the Brood of Nithogg, but I am telling you, she is not one of them. When you look at her now, you see her purple scales, but deep down in her heart she is just as red or blue as any of us. She betrayed Nithogg and put her life in jeopardy to get me out alive. I was just a stranger to her... but she believed in me. She believed that she wasn't like the other monsters in her clan, and I believed in her." Aurora continued.

"As a token of gratitude for all that she has done for me, I offered Glade refuge in our clan. I gave her my word that should both of us escape alive, I would give her sanctuary. Her clan is scattered, she has nowhere to go, nowhere to run. She put her life on the line for me and now she shunned by her clan and ours. I owe it to her to give her a safe place to be happy and to live her life. I beg you all to please look past her purple scales and see that she truly deserves to be one of us." Finished Aurora.

Aurora's impressive speech managed to turn the hearts of the crowd. What started out as a vast ocean of scowls, growls, and bared teeth, had now died down. People were chatting to each other, discussing what they had heard.

Tempest stepped forward and spoke up. "I believe you Aurora. I've always known you to be a good judge of character. If you believe that she is truly good at heart, then I believe you." He said with a smile. Tempest brought his enormous wing around both Glade and Aurora. "Lets not waste any time. I vote to let her stay." he said with his warm deep voice.

"Anyone opposed?" Asked Tempest as he scanned the crowd for anyone who had a problem with her being there. Much to his satisfaction nobody spoke up. In fact most of the clan seemed to be happy and at ease now.

"Good." Said Tempest as he turned to Glade. "You're welcomed to stay with us for as long as you need, Glade. Councilwoman Eclipse will help you to pick out a cave of your own for shelter." he finished.

Glade appeared so grateful and appreciative that she almost cried. "Thank you all so much. You've given me a chance that not to many others of my kind have had. For that you have my eternal gratitude. Hopefully I don't let you down." She said with a respectful bow. Once her head was back up she turned and smiled to Aurora who was also looking back at her.

"Thank you for keeping your word, Aurora." said Glade.

"Don't mention it. I'll catch up with you later. Hope you find a nice cave to call your own." Said Aurora as she bowed aswell and turned to walk off with Cyclone.

Cyclone was stunned at how quickly Aurora was able to turn everything around. Bewildered amazement adorned his face as he saw Aurora approaching him. "Remarkable. That was quite the speech." remarked Cyclone.

Aurora held her head up high with a confident smile as she felt proud of herself. "Thank you." she said with gratitude. "Though after all this hunting and shouting and stress, I could use a bath. Care to join me?" Said Aurora placing a wing around her mate as she looked up to him.

Cyclone nodded happily. "I wouldn't have it any other way." said Cyclone as he put a wing around her aswell and they began to walk off towards the valley.

At the furthermost edge of the valley to the north of the clan's camp, there was a large waterfall where fresh water constantly flowed from the cliff above into a large pool at the bottom that was connected to the river channel. It truly was a sight to behold as the water was pure crystal-clear blue, and the surrounding forest area was a much lusher bright-green than the rest of the forest due to the constant revitalization of the waters.

Cyclone and Aurora were inside the large pool, cooling off and getting clean in the fresh water. They were positioned right underneath the waterfall so that the water was cascading down their heads and shoulders.

While the water poured on them from up above, the two dragons were taking advantage of their privacy by making out in the water, with nothing held back. Only their heads were perked up above the waters. Below the water, their legs and wings were wrapped around each other as they paddled every once in a while to stay afloat.

During their session of making out, they pulled away from each others lips for a moment to catch a breath.

"You seem a bit happier today, more than usual." Said Cyclone, speaking up slightly more than normal as the water falling around them was a bit noisy.

"Can I ask you something Cyclone?" Asked Aurora.

"Of course." he replied.

"Ever since we became a couple, you haven't had any time to spend with your other guy friends. I don't really have many female friends to talk to or spend time with. I've spent so much time perfecting my combat skills and working hard to get onto the council that I never really had time to make any friends. I know that you used to have a ton of male friends that you spent time with but now you don't anymore and I feel a little bad."

Cyclone shrugged. "The guys understand my situation. Life happens. You're injured and I'm taking care of you, and like you said, you don't have many friends so if I left you to go be with them, I know you'd get lonely and bored and I can't let you be like that." Said Cyclone.

"But don't you miss having guy-time? I know all the male dragons in the clan are really close with each other. They have fun talking and hunting when their mates are away. Don't you miss hanging out with the other guys?" She asked.

Cyclone nodded. "I do. But you're my life now, Aurora. I love you, and I've made you my top priority over anything else, including the guys."

Aurora smiled. "Well I suspect that once Glade gets accustomed to our clan, that she and I will become very good friends, and the two of us can hang out with the other girls. Now that i'm not always busy being a councilor, I can focus on my friends, that way you can go be with the guys and not have to worry about me being lonely." She finished.

"That sounds perfect." Said Cyclone as he began paddling for a large flat stone rock that was right in the middle of the pool.

Both he and Aurora swam up to the flat rock and came out of the water half-way. They both layed on their bellies on the rock as they continued to talk to each other. They both kept their hind legs submerged so they could still casually kick their feet around in the water.

"You know, as a girl i've always secretly wondered what you guys are up to when you're off by yourselves." Said Aurora inquisitively.

Cyclone chuckled as he realized the truth of what they did was vastly similar to the stereotype most females had about them. "Well we mostly complain about our women and then we like to rough each other up in a friendly fight." He said slightly laughing.

Aurora giggled as he confirmed her suspicions. Are they both laughed, they both playfully kicked their feet around in the water, making loud splashes every once in awhile.

"You wouldn't complain about me would you?" Asked Aurora playfully.

Cyclone bumped noses with her and smiled. "Never."

Aurora smiled back at him and happily bumped noses with him. After a while of lying and talking with him, Aurora began to slide off the rock and back into the water so she could swim to shore. Though before she could leave, she felt Cyclone grab her by her back left foot. When she turned her head around she could see him holding onto her ankle with a confident grin.

"Ah ah ah... you're not going anywhere. Remember we had a deal earlier this morning if we finished all our work early..." Said Cyclone cockily.

Aurora grinned aswell and chuckled as she remembered the deal she made with him earlier in the morning. "Oh right." She said as she stopped paddling, allowing Cyclone to reel her in until she was back on the flat rock in the middle of the pool.

Once she was fully up on the rock she rolled over onto her back and tilted her head at him with a playful smile. "So i'm guessing you enjoyed last night and you can't wait to do it again. Is that why you're so anxious today?" She said laying her head down on the flat stone surface as she looked up to him. The sound of the waterfall still rang in both of their ears.

"Alas, as noble and charming as I am, I can't help being a male. I simply cannot resist you." Said Cyclone with a devilish grin adorning his face.

Aurora playfully rolled her eyes. "You flatter yourself. Though what's to stop me from playing hard-to-get? I'm feeling a bit uncooperative today." She said, trying to mess him.

Cyclone shrugged and kept his grin. "Unfortunately my dear, I believe you have no say in the matter."

After hearing him say that, Aurora could feel the tip of his member eagerly poking between her legs. Almost immediately her bright pink genitals poked out from inside of her body until they were out in the open, exposed. She had no control over it as it was an involuntary bodily function.

Aurora perked an eyebrow. "Clever. You know how my body works. I assume you're familiar with how my foot works?" She said as she raised her hind foot and placed it on his hips, pushing them away from her vulnerable exposed genitals.

"Oh dear." Said Cyclone with a light hearted sigh as he looked to her with a tilted head and a smile. "What do I have to do to get past your foot?" He asked curiously.

"Say something sweet about me. Something that will make me feel good...something to get me in the mood." She said.

Cyclone nodded. "Alright. Currently you and I are laying right in the middle of one of the most beautiful places on earth. We're surrounded by breathtaking crystal clear waters, beautiful blossoming trees, laying underneath one of the most peaceful and calm waterfalls in the world. Though when I look at your wonderful body and your perfect face, everything else around us seems... boring. Why enjoy the sights when the one beneath me is far more interesting and far more..." he placed a claw on her chin. "Sexy."

Aurora grinned, feeling a chill going up her spine that she couldn't resist.

"Good?" Asked Cyclone, grinning so wide that he was showing teeth.

Aurora nodded. "Good enough." she responded.

Cyclone lowered his head to hers, their lips almost within touching distance. He whispered to her. "Now how about that foot of yours?" he inquired.

Aurora laughed. "You really are unique." She said taking her foot down from his hips. Almost immediately he moved forward and pushed into her. Since they were both soaking wet, he was able to slide into her body surprisingly way easier than normal. Aurora perked her eyebrows up a bit and let out a vocal "Ooo." When she felt him make his move.

"I am. That's why you can't get enough of me." Said Cyclone, looking at her one last time.

They both burst into laughter for a moment before embracing each other in a tight grasp. Cyclone started going at her, humping very very fast as they locked lips, giggling to each other in between kisses, and they began to roll around back and forth on the rock as they did so.

As the roaring waterfall continued to fill the air with noise, the occasional laugh and giggle could be heard over the sound of the racing water.


	21. Chapter 21: The Life of a Male Dragon

After their second enjoyable and relaxing mating session, Cyclone and Aurora felt as close to each other as could be. They were still laying down on the flat stone surface in the middle of the waterfall, partially exhausted.

Cyclone laid on his back, letting out a satisfied sigh. "That was relaxing." He said.

"It was." Said Aurora, also laying on her back. "I feel refreshed." she added. Her body still tingled slightly with pleasure as she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the roaring waterfall and chirping birds.

"Are we planning to go visit our friends today?" Asked Cyclone, remembering the discussion they had earlier.

Aurora rubbed her chin. "The day is still young, I would say so. We've already accomplished so much in such a short amount of time." She said.

"Well the guys usually start meeting around this time. I should probably start heading over there. Are you going to stay here for a bit?" Asked Cyclone as he started to sit up.

Aurora nodded. "I want to lay here for a bit longer before I go meet up with the others. Unfortunately for female dragons like myself, we're a bit more exhausted after having sex compared to males like yourself." she said with her eyes still closed.

Cyclone nodded with a smile, sympathizing with how she felt. "Alright. I hope it goes well for you, today." He said starting to lean over her a bit. "Goodbye, Sweetheart, I love you." He said lowering his head to give her an affectionate kiss on the lips.

Aurora happily accepted his kiss. "Aww..." She said smiling at the fact he called her Sweetheart for the first time. "I love you too."

The two dragons shared a quick affectionate nuzzle before Cyclone slowly slipped into the river and began paddling down the river while Aurora layed back down to rest. He didn't want to take off and start flying in front of her as he didn't want her to feel jealous of him flying since she no longer could.

Once Cyclone was a safe distance away from her he began to beat his wings until he took off flying in the direction of the spot he knew the guys used to meet.

As Cyclone gracefully soared through the air, he gently closed his eyes as he enjoyed the feeling of the wind at his back and the warm sun beating down on his aerial form. As he enjoyed the flight he started to feel sympathetic for his mate as she couldn't enjoy the same simply pleasure of flying that all dragon's enjoyed. Though he still held on to hope that she would recover.

As he soared over the plains, he looked down to see the group of about six males dragons, his old friends. Cyclone smiled and dove down through the air until he came to a gentle stop on the ground.

All of the male dragons looked surprise. Among them was Thunder, Cyclone's long-time friend.

"Well I'll be damned." Said Thunder perking his head up as his old friend descended upon the plains.

When Cyclone was grounded he began to walk over to them. Both he and Thunder started walking towards each other until they collided into a typical masculine headbutt, which was how most male dragon's greeted each other.

Thunder began to overpower him a bit, causing Cyclone to slide back a bit. Thunder looked up and chuckled. "Not exercising as much nowadays?" he said, poking fun.

Cyclone chuckled and mustered his might. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and tensed his muscles, pushing back hard until Thunder fell backwards onto the ground.

"I assure you I still am." said Cyclone.

The group of friends started laughing and embraced each other with their wings as they all gave Cyclone a friendly head butt.

"You're just in time." Said Thunder as he got back up. "We just got here, and we have plenty of fish." He said.

Cyclone looked down to see a pile of fish, specially for them.

"You remember the guys, Gale, Stone, Typhoon, Boulder, and Spark." Said Thunder as he pointed to each of them.

"Of course." Said Cyclone.

Gale stepped up. "Don't think that we haven't forgotten you." he said cockily. "You and I have a score to settle."

Cyclone huffed and raised an eyebrow. "Ah good ol' Gale. Last time I came to one of these meetings I remember giving you quite the smackdown."

Gale shook his head. "A lot has changed since then." He said getting into a combat stance.

Thunder tried to poke into their conversation. "Getting straight down to business are we? Can't we just settle this over a nice fresh pile of fish?" He said, placing his wings around both of them with a big chummy smile.

Cyclone gently eased Thunder off of him. "Relax. I don't mind. It's been awhile since I've had a good friendly spar."

Thunder nodded and shrugged, backing off as he still kept his smile. "Well good luck. Give them some room boys." He said.

The other male dragons backed off to give the battling dragons some space.

Cyclone cracked his neck a bit and stretched. "Alright. Show me what you've learned since last time." He said assuming a steady combat stance, with one front foot forward, the other front foot back. His shoulder and wing faced forward to embrace a heavy blow. It was a defensive combat stance.

Gale immediately began charging forward, expecting Cyclone to budge. However, Cyclone remained firm. When Gale collided with Cyclone, Cyclone's steady stance allowed him to block most of the force.

When they pushed against each other, separating, Gale began unleashing a flurry of swipes from his front claws.

Cyclone began expertly deflecting, blocking, and evading each one of his attacks. Cyclone was a natural combatant. Time seemed to slow down for him, even though Gale was attacking very quickly, Cyclone could see each blow coming as if they were in slow-motion.

Cyclone continued blocking and deflecting his attacks, using his front feet to swat away each and every strike. Once he found a gap in between Gales attacks, he quickly did a 360 degree spin, swiping his tail across the ground.

Gale was swept off of the ground by Cyclone's tail, becoming airborne for a brief moment. During that brief moment Cyclone gave a rough shoulder charge which sent Gale backwards a couple feet before he hit the ground with a thud.

Gale was resilient. He quickly got back up and began to channel the fury of the storm within him. His throat began to glow blue with magical energy until he opened his mouth and unleashed a continuously flowing stream of lightning.

Cyclone held out his front foot, catching the stream of lightning. At first he was a bit overwhelmed but he quickly turned the tide and began absorbing all the energy.

Gale continued breathing lightning continuously, hoping to down him. However, Cyclone grinned as he got the hang of absorbing magic. He kept his foot extended, absorbing all of Gale's damage.

Eventually Gale couldn't keep it up anymore. His stream of lightning stopped and he collapsed to the ground on his belly. Cyclone finished absorbing the rest of his attack until he was done, at which point Cyclone clenched his talons and took a deep breath, feeling invigorated.

He had too much power inside of him and he needed to release it. Cyclone reared up on his hind legs, charging his front ones with Lightning power. After a while of charging up, Cyclone reared back down with a tremendous stomp.

The lightning power traveled underground until it gathered beneath Gale. Gale looked down to see the ground beneath him turn from lush green to bright white. "Damn..." he said before the ground beneath him erupted, sending Gale about thirty feet into the air.

Gale came back down, landing on the grass with a loud thud. Before he could open his eyes, Cyclone was standing above him with his front foot on top of his throat. Though instead of killing him, Cyclone offered his talon to Gale to help him up.

The other Male dragons began clapping, happy to see that their old buddy, Cyclone, hadn't lost a step when it came to combat. There was a sense of brotherly respect and closeness amongst the group. Whenever one of them did something impressive, the others were always ready to support them with pats on the back and a round of cheers.

"You still have much to learn, friend." He said with a smile as he extended his grasp to his good friend to help him up.

Gale sighed and grabbed onto him, getting helped back up to the ground before letting out a sigh. "I guess that's why they call you the best?"

Cyclone chuckled. "You gotta mix brawn with brain. Don't unleash all your power at once, save it for bursts and waves spread out over time." he said, trying to help.

Gale rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah...whatever."

Thunder chuckled and walked forward again, bringing his wings around both of them. "Well done Cyclone. You never cease to amaze." He said with a smile.

Cyclone shrugged and smiled too. "It's what I do." he said cockily.

Thunder turned to Gale. "Don't worry, you're still a drake. When you become a full-grown dragon, you'll learn the ropes, just like all of us." finished Thunder as he looked at both of them with a brotherly smile. "Now who's hungry? We got fish!" He said happily.

Cyclone turned to Gale and gestured toward the fire. "Let's eat." He said with a tone that suggested no hard feelings.

Once the males were gathered around the fire they began to dig into the pile of freshly caught fish and began talking amongst themselves as they enjoyed the healthy benefits of socializing with their fellow brothers.

They all gathered in a circle around the pile of fish as they began to talk to each other.

"So where you been? Why haven't you been seeing us lately?" Asked Spark to Cyclone.

"I've been taking care of Aurora." Cyclone said.

Thunder perked his eyebrows. "Oh interesting. Last time we spoke you were talking to me about how you had feelings for her. I assume you two are getting close now?" He asked.

Cyclone chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck a bit. "Well actually... we're mates now." he said.

The group started to cheer and clap for him all at once, surprised by his news. Cyclone smiled as he enjoyed their reactions.

Cyclone nodded. "Yeah she hurt her wings so I've been taken care of her, helping her to recover. It's been an interesting past couple of days." he said.

"Best be careful and stay on her good side. Being mated isn't always a walk in the park. My mate is a real bitch." Said Stone.

Cyclone narrowed his eyes and tilted his head back a bit, not expecting a bombshell like that to be dropped. "Wow." he said chuckling. "That's cold." he said.

"Whats wrong, Stone?" Asked Gale.

"Ah, lately all she does is nag nag nag complain complain complain, and talk my head off. I look forward to these meetings every day so I can get a break from it all." Said Stone.

Boulder nodded. "Same here. Can't get my mate off my ass for nothing." He said frustrated as he tossed a fish bone into the pile of other fishbones.

"Here here." Said Typhoon. "In the same boat myself."

Cyclone's eyes darted back and forth to each one of them as he was taken away by their gripes. "Wow. I didn't know your mates made you all so unhappy."

"Enough about us, tell us about you and Aurora." Said Spark. "You guys fight often?" he asked.

Cyclone shook his head with a smile. "Never."

Typhoon scoffed. "Come on... there's no such thing as a couple who doesn't fight. There has to be something about her that grinds your gears." he prodded.

Cyclone shook his head. "Sorry to disappoint you all. My relationship with Aurora couldn't be any better. She's nice, she understands me, she doesn't shut me out. We understand each other, we have empathy for each other, and we're always there for each other in the good times and bad." He said.

"Have you guys actually done it yet?" Said boulder with a perked eyebrow.

Cyclone chuckled at his question. "That's inappropriate." he said.

"Come on... you guys have to have done it atleast once. We're all guys here, you can share it with us." Prodded Boulder.

Cyclone shook his head, keeping his warm smile. "Sorry. I know it sounds 'lame' for me to not talk to you about this, but this is how I feel. What me and Aurora do together when we're alone is our privacy. I know we're all guys here, and we can swap stories with each other but I don't think Aurora would be happy if she found out I was telling everyone about our sex life. I certainly wouldn't want her talking about it to her friends." He finished.

Thunder budged in. "Alright alright you guys...leave Cyclone alone. If he doesn't want to talk about it then he doesn't have to." He said as he looked to Cyclone. "I'm really happy for you guys, and I wish you all the best. Sounds like you two have a pretty much perfect relationship." He said with a smile as he patted Cyclone on the back.

Stone scoffed. "No such thing as a perfect relationship. All females have a bitchy side deep down. You may not see it yet but you will soon enough."

Cyclone tilted his head. "What are you talking about?"

Stone looked up to him. "You guys are all happy and lovey-dovey for now. Every relationship starts off easy and happy. Once you guys get used to each other and you get comfortable living together, that's when the fights start happening, and the arguments, and the differences." He said.

Thunder leaned over to speak to Stone. "Do you have to be such a buzzkill?" He said trying to reason with him.

Stone shrugged. "I'm just telling you like it is. I want you to be prepared. One of these days Aurora is going to be all over you, complaining and fussing and throwing a tantrum, just you wait. All women turn into bitches eventually." He said taking a bite out of another fish before throwing the bone into the pile. "One of these days, you'll be so anxious to get away from her that going to these male-only gatherings will be the highlight of your week.

Thunder leaned over to Stone again, trying to scold him for being so negative and ruining their good time.

Cyclone didn't hear what Thunder was saying to Stone. Right now he was looking down at the ground, his eyebrows lowered and a frown on his face. He began to wonder if eventually he and Aurora would be having problems with their relationship. Even the very thought of arguing and being mean to Aurora felt like a dagger in his heart.


	22. Chapter 22: The Life of a Female Dragon

Once Aurora felt ready and relaxed enough to go finish the rest of the day she took one last long stretch and a drawn-out yawn. She sat up straight and look around her all of her surroundings for a moment. The waterfall, the trees, the pool water, the birds, the grass, and the leaves. She smiled as she felt well-rested and peaceful.

After sitting up, Aurora dove into the water and began to swim down stream for a bit. She flowed down the river until she came to a smooth shore and walked out of the water. She then quickly shook the water off of her and began on her way.

The walk to camp would be a long one as she was walking on foot. As she crossed the wide open plains she began to think about her wings. Not only was flying a convenient and easy way to get from place to place but it was also an enjoyable pleasure, one that she had cherished since the day she learned how to fly.

Giving up wasn't an option. Cyclone made it very clear to her that holding onto hope was her best option and she believed him. She continued to walk through the grass, feeling hopeful that she would one day fully recover. In the mean time, Aurora looked forward to her meeting with the other girls.

When she arrived at camp, she noticed Glade still hadn't left her cave. Aurora sympathized with her. Most of the camp was still uncomfortable with a purple dragon living amongst them. Aurora knew that Glade was feeling unwelcomed, but she was determined to end that today.

"Glade?" Said Aurora, perking her head into her cave.

Glade turned her head around to see Aurora. "Oh hey." She said, an unsure nervous look adorning her face.

Aurora walked up to her. "Hey, I know how you must be feeling now. You feel like the odd one out here, but I promise you that everyone will come around eventually. You need to give them a chance in the same way they need to give you one." reasoned Aurora.

Glade nodded. "I'm ready. Let's go see what your clan does in its spare time? As long as you aren't preparing for war every second of every day, I think I might enjoy this." She said, remember how every day was a struggle for survival in Nithogg's camp.

"Good. Follow me, I know the way." Said Aurora as she guided Glade out of her cave and out into the camp.

The other females were meeting on the open plains. There was nothing around them for a good half a mile. Just pure green grass and flowers were the only two things out on the open plains, as well as a few animals.

When Aurora and Glade arrived, the group all smiled and welcomed them.

"Aurora! Good to see you again." Said Eclipse.

Aurora was surprised to see Councilwoman Eclipse at the meeting. She figured it was mostly the younger females that met here. "Good to see you too Eclipse! I didn't think this was your sort of thing." She stated.

Eclipse chuckled. "I might be an old lady but even us elders have to get away from the males every once in the while." She said with a warm smile as she looked up to Glade.

Most of the girls in the group were unsure how they felt about seeing a purple dragon in their group. However, Eclipse was always the most accepting, the most generous, and the most hospitable dragon in the entire camp. The first one to stand up and bring her wing around Glade was Eclipse.

"I want you to know that you're safe here. Nobody is going to judge you. We're all girls here, whatever you say or do here in this circle stays between us. Don't be afraid to speak up." Said Eclipse, hoping to make Glade more comfortable.

Glade smiled. "Thank you, I'll try to be as vocal as I can." she reassured.

Eclipse nodded. "Good. Now let me introduce you to everyone." She said pointing to each one in the group one by one. "Brook, Ruby, Vale, and Shadow. You've already met Aurora, and my name is Eclipse. I'm a councillor." she finished.

As Eclipse introduced them, they all waved when their names were called. When Glade looked around, she saw they were all laying down on their bellies with their back legs stretched out as well as their wings. They were all laying down in a circle so they could see each other.

When Eclipse and Aurora laid down on their bellies and stretched out their legs and wings aswell, Glade laid down and did the same thing.

"Now before we get started, I think Aurora has something she wants to share." Said Eclipse, grinning in amusement as she knew she put Aurora on the spot.

When Aurora saw her grin, she chuckled and rolled her eyes, figuring she would tell everyone now.

Ruby looked to Aurora with a tilted head. "What is it?" She asked. Ruby and Aurora were close friends growing up though it had been a while since they've seen each other.

"Me and Cyclone are mates now." Said Aurora, smiling as she knew everyone would be happy for her.

All the girls gasped and smiled as they showered her with praise and support as she told everyone the good news. Glade was still looking at all of them, trying to memorize their behavior and take mental notes on how they reacted with each other so she could become more suitable to their group.

"I knew it!" Said Shadow. "You and him have been sweethearts since the days when we were still in the nursery." she continued.

Vale giggled to herself. "You have to admit, Aurora, It's not really THAT big of a surprise. Everyone knew you two were destined to be together."

Aurora shrugged. "We had our ups and downs. Everything worked out for us in the end. He saved my life and sacrificed his job, career, and friends to watch over me and keep me safe." She said, finding even more appreciation for her mate after having said it out loud to the group.

A unanimous "Awww" broke out amongst the group as they were all happy to see their friend finally enjoying a good life.

As Glade studied the group, she noticed some birds were starting to perch on top of her wings. She shook them off without causing too big of a commotion. When she looked down, she saw a Squirrel resting on her front leg, chewing on a nut. She almost immediately pounced, trying to kill it but she was trying to hard to be subtle and missed her chance.

Eclipse looked up to Glade. "What's wrong, Glade?" she asked.

"There are critters starting to surround me and bug me." She said still annoyed. Though when she looked up to the group she saw birds perched on top of all of their wings and none of them were trying to shake them off.

Glade looked confused. "Why aren't you trying to kill them?" she asked, having never had this problem before.

"There's no need to kill them." said Eclipse. "One of the things we're going to try and help you with today is to become more peaceful with your surroundings." She said not minding the birds perched on her wings or the squirrels that were sitting on her tail and arms.

When Glade looked over to Vale she saw birds on her too, and there were squirrels resting on her tail. "Why are they gathering around us in the first place? We're dragons, they should fear us!" she said, using the same mentality she had been taught by Nithogg since she was a child.

"Because we're big and we usually only eat the larger animals. They seek shelter around us from the other predators of the forest. A wolf wouldn't think twice about approaching a group of lightning-breathing dragons." Said Eclipse.

"But why is it our job to give them shelter?" Asked Glade.

"It's not our job. We don't mind them surrounding us. When you lay here on the plains, surrounded by animals on a good sunny day, it makes you feel more in tune with nature. Your first thought it to kill. You need to relax, just get comfortable. The animals aren't hurting anything." Said Brook.

This was all new to Glade, never before had she considered becoming in tune with nature. Her old camp was probably the most unnatural place in the land as it was charred, bleak, and covered in ash as her clan was always fighting, sparring, and preparing for war.

Glade felt something touching the bottom of her back foot. She immediately squirmed and began kicking but Eclipse tried to calm her down.

"Relax relax! Just take it easy!" Said Eclipse. "It's just a fox. Lay still and just let them do their thing. Nothing here is going to harm or bother you." she said.

Glade reluctantly did as she said and remained still as she laid on her belly. She looked behind her to see a small fox licking the bottom of her feet, getting at her heels. She quickly looked to her side, seeing another fox licking Shadow's feet.

As she looked around some more she could see Foxes were licking at all of their feet while other creatures gathered as well. Glade looked up confused. She could see animals were around the rest of the group but they didn't mind.

"This is the first step." Said Eclipse. "The birds rest on our wings to eat their meals as there are very few trees around here on these open plains. Our wings give them a place to rest so they don't have to carry their food all the way back to their nest a half mile out. The Squirrels use our hard spiked tails to crack their nuts and eat in peace to avoid predators, and the Foxes lick our feet to pick off any bugs or other creatures that we step on daily. All you have to do is relax and be at peace." Said Eclipse trying to get her to calm down.

Glade sighed and did as she was instructed. She remained still as birds gathered on her wings and foxes gathered at her feet. After a while it didn't seem to bother her too much.

Glade tried to change the subject and focus on something else as she tried to get her mind off the creatures surrounding her. "Are the rest of you mated?" she asked.

The other girls seemed to roll their eyes and groan.

Aurora blinked in surprise as she looked around at the group. "What's the matter with you guys? An eyeroll and grumble isn't how I imagined people would talk about their mates." Said Aurora confused.

"You'll learn eventually." Said Brook.

Aurora shrugged. "What am I supposed to learn?" she asked.

Vale spoke up. "Males are monsters." she said.

"Why would you say something like that?" Aurora asked. Though as she asked, she heard a bit of sniffling and sobbing coming from one of them. She looked over to see Ruby crying to herself. Vale and Shadow had their wings around her, trying to comfort her.

"Ruby?" Said Aurora, feeling sympathetic. "What happened?" Said Aurora looking up to the group.

Shadow looked up to Aurora. "Her mate cheated on her. Slept with another female right in the same cave they live in. When Ruby came home with her child, she found them.

"What?!" Said Aurora in disbelief. "Even her kid saw her father do it?" she asked.

Shadow nodded.

"Who is her mate?" Aurora asked.

"His name is Stone." Said Eclipse.

Aurora looked up to Ruby. "I'm so sorry, Ruby..." She said softly.

Ruby shook her head. "It's fine." She said sobbing one last time before pushing Vale and Brook off of her, not wanting to hog all the attention.

Aurora looked around to the rest of the group. "You all don't seem very surprised by this?" She said in confusion.

Vale sighed. "I've been cheated on before."

Shadow nodded. "Me too. Found him cheating on me with one of the hunters. He left me not too long ago."

Brook nodded as well.

Aurora shrugged. "What is this?" She said looking around before eyeing Eclipse.

Eclipse shook her head. "Don't look at me, I'm not mated. I'm a councillor."

"The truth is." Said Vale. "Eventually, all males cheat. They can't resist, it's in their blood. At first they focus on you because you're still fresh in their mind, but once they get used to you and grow accustomed to the same-old same-old, then they start sneaking around to find other females to have fun with." She said.

Almost immediately Aurora's heart was struck with fear. She didn't want to believe it. It couldn't be possible. Cyclone loved her with all of his heart, he would never do anything like that.

Glade's eyes darted back and forth to all of them. "Well this conversation went south real fast. I'm sorry I even asked."

Shadow shook her head. "It's not your fault Glade. It was going to come up eventually." She said looking at Glade before hearing Aurora speak up.

"No." Said Aurora.

Shadow looked back to Aurora as did the rest of them.

"Cyclone would never do that to me. He's a man of honor, of respect, of sincerity. Not all Males cheat. He loves me with every last bit of life inside of him." Said Aurora confidently.

Vale sighed. "For now." she said ominously.

Eclipse roughly batted Vale on her shoulder. "Hush! You don't need to talk like that!" said Eclipse in a stern tone. "Why do you have to be so negative? Can't you see that she is happy?"

Aurora wasn't paying attention. She kept shaking her head thinking "No no no! It's not possible!" She thought to herself, but to some extent deep down, she felt fearful.

Glade put her wing around Aurora. "Aurora are you okay?" She asked, concerned.

Aurora nodded. "I'm fine I just..." she shook her head. "It's nothing." She said.

Aurora quickly shook the birds off of her wings and brushed the foxes off of her feet before standing up and walking off.

"Aurora." Said Eclipse, trying to reason with her before she left.

Ruby tried to get up and chase after Aurora but Brook held onto her. "Just let her go." She said, encouraging ruby to lay back down.

Eclipse looked to Vale with a stern look. "Are you happy now?" she said. Before long the two of them began to argue as Shadow and Glade began to talk to each other.

"I feel like this is my fault." said Glade to Shadow as the rest of the group were arguing.

Shadow shook her head. "It's not your fault. Just next time, don't ask about mates around here."

Glade huffed. "Yeah I understand that now." She said realizing what a large nerve she had poked. She sighed and buried her face into her front legs, deep in thought. Though fortunately, through all the discussion and conversation, Glade seemed to forget about the creatures surrounding her almost as if she wasn't phased.

Aurora had retreated from the valley, going back to her and Cyclone's secret cave that was located near the waterfall they enjoyed so much.

As Aurora journeyed back home alone, she began to feel doubt and fear inside of her heart. She didn't want to believe what the girls told her. As much as she tried to deny it, she couldn't escape the feeling she felt in her heart.

By the time she had reached her home, It was already sunset and it was starting to get dark. It had been a very long day. She and Cyclone went hunting, they rescued Glade, they had a bit of private time, and they visited with their friends.

When Aurora entered the cave she saw that Cyclone had just entered the cave as well.

The two of them turned to face each other. Both of them had fear in their hearts. They couldn't stop looking at each other as their thoughts raced as they had both been told negative things by their friends.

After a while of staring at each other, tears started to form in their eyes and they both rushed forward, running at each other until they quickly met in a very powerful embrace. They buried their heads into each others shoulders as they hugged, holding onto each other very tightly. After a while they both fell over onto their sides.

They squeezed each other tightly for a moment before pulling back. Aurora was trying to hold back the tears as she began to think of Cyclone cheating on her. "We're not going to end up like them are we?" She saying, figured Cyclone had heard the exact same thing from his friends.

Cyclone quickly pulled her closer to him until their chests were touching. "No, Aurora... Never." He said wrapping her in his wings.

As Cyclone wrapped her in his wings Aurora buried her face into the base of his neck and cuddled with him, enjoying the feeling of his wings around her.

"We're going to be together forever, and nothing will ever stop us." Said Cyclone trying to calm her. After he finished speaking he simply hugged her close to his chest and gave her kisses on her forehead.

Aurora spoke up. "I love you so much, Cyclone..." She said holding onto his chest as if she would never let go.

"I love you with all my heart. Never doubt that for a second." He said as they continued to hug.

The rapidly falling water coming from the nearby waterfall could still be heard, but for now the only sounds they cared about were the breaths that they each took every couple of seconds.


	23. Chapter 23: A Scream in the Darkness

It was Midnight and all of the dragons in the camp were resting peacefully. Aurora and Cyclone were sleeping soundly in their cave together when Aurora was awakened by what sounded like a scream.

When Aurora woke up, her back was up against Cyclone's chest and his wings were covering her like a blanket as they had been cuddling as they slept. Aurora looked over her shoulder to see if her mate was awake, however he was sound asleep.

Aurora felt obligated to investigate the scream she heard but she didn't want to wake Cyclone. She carefully slipped his wings off of her and subtly slipped out of his grasp. After she got away from him, she turned to see that he was still asleep. She looked forward again and exited the cave, heading out into the woods.

It was pitch black outside, and mostly quiet aside from the sound of crickets chirping here and there. The moon was up high in the sky, casting a white light below that pierced through the trees to give some visibility to the land below.

Aurora navigated through the woods, using the moon's light to guide her path when suddenly she heard the scream again, it was blood-curdling and loud. She picked up her pace, determined to get to whoever was in danger. Though much to her dismay, the trail of sound led to her friend Ruby's cave, the same friend she had met with earlier that day.

At the cave, Ruby was begging on her knees as her mate, Stone, stood over her with a menacing look on his face, and a posture that suggested violence.

"Please stop!" Ruby said in between tears, pleading for her life.

Stone clenched his talons and punched her across the face, causing her to spit blood onto the ground. Using the same clenched talon, he punched her again across the face again, throwing her to the ground.

Ruby's son, a young whelpling, jumped up on his father's arm in tears. "Daddy you're hurting her! Stop! Stop!" He pleaded with tears running down his face.

Stone quickly back-hand slapped his son to the ground. "You stay out of this and do as you're told!" Stone shouted at him as he picked up Ruby by the throat. When the young dragon landed on the ground he started to cry even louder.

"You bitch!" Stone said grasping Ruby tighter by the throat. Ruby couldn't fight back. She was neither a Warrior or a Hunter, she was a nursery attendant who cared for the little ones and had no combat training.

Ruby sobbed and sniffled, still trying to beg. "Please..." she said weakly.

"If you ever try and take my boy and run away again I'll kill you, you hear!" He said shaking her. "I'll kill you!" He shouted again. "I'll kill you!" He said shaking her very hard as she balled her eyes out in tears.

As Stone held her by the throat and snarled in her face he was suddenly kicked to the ground and was forced to let go of Ruby.

Aurora stood up after having knocked him over and assumed a steady combat stance. "Ruby take your kid and get out of here, GO!" She shouted urgently as Stone got right back up and began to charge Aurora.

Ruby quickly picked up her baby and began to flee as Aurora and Stone clashed in a violent struggle. The moonlight shined down on the two of them as they dueled in the forest.

Stone was a big dragon, very burly, but Aurora wasn't scared. As Stone took a swipe for Aurora's head she ducked and rolled across the ground, slashing his front thigh as she did so before standing back up.

Stone grunted as he covered his leg and quickly pounced at her. Aurora was knocked back and Stone was on top of her about to pin her down. Before he could pin her, Aurora used her back legs to kick him off of her, causing him to do a flip over her and land on his back.

Aurora quickly got back up and assumed her stance. Before he could charge her again, she charged her wings with electricity and created a solid wall of lightning infront of her. When Stone collided with the wall, she quickly extended the wall a bit longer and then wrapped it around him, trying to bind him.

Once he was wrapped Aurora quickly backed up, but the binding wasn't enough. Stone broke through the binding and opened his mouth to breath lightning on her.

Aurora charged her wing with lightning and used it as a barrier as she quickly covered herself in her wing. As she braced his attack she looked to her side to see a tall tree that stood right between him and her.

Using her other charged wing she sliced the air, sending a lightning blade toward the tree that sliced right through the stump, causing the tree to fall over.

Stone looked up to see the tree falling towards him. He had to stop channeling his attack and back up. Once the tree landed he quickly scanned the area, looking for her.

Aurora jumped up on the log and jumped into the air, preparing to assault him with a flurry of attacks. On her way down she managed to claw a gash on the top of his head, which caused him to grunt in pain. She then began unleashing a flurry of claw strikes.

The two dragons engaged in a claw duel. As Aurora assaulted him, Stone deflected each of her attacks, slapping her ankles aside before she could get close to him. Eventually Aurora broke through his defences and managed to push up against his chest. Rather than fall over, Stone reared up on his hind legs and stumbled back.

As he stumbled back Aurora charged her tail with lightning, spun around and slammed her tail on the ground in his direction. The shockwave of force caused Stone to go flying back until he impacted with a tree. He grunted as he regained his strength.

He looked up to see Aurora charging at him again with her claws. He quickly ducked as Aurora slashed the tree bark where he used to be. When Stone got up he unleashed a flurry of attacks himself.

Aurora took to the defensive and began expertly knocking his attacks aside. At one point, they both reared up on their hind legs and interlocked their front claws in a violent struggle. As they grunted and tried to overpower each other, Aurora head-butted him violently which dazed him. She then struck him with a shoulder-charge which caused him to stumble back before she swept her front leg across the ground, tripping him and causing him to fall onto his back.

Aurora leaped on him in a quick pounce. Stone lifted up his claws to try and stop her from landing on him but she swiped his claws away and landed on his chest. She used her wings to push his front legs to the ground. As they struggled, Aurora clenched her talons into a fist and began punching him across the face left and right repeatedly.

As she punched him over and over and over again he started to get bloody, spitting blood and a few teeth onto the ground. He groaned out loud in pain as Aurora continued to assail him with a flurry of punches.

After a while, Stone went limp, breathing heavily. Aurora reached up to grab him by the throat and pulled his face close to hers as she snarled. "Listen to me you pile of filth!" She said making sure he was listening to her. "If you so much as lay a toe on your mate or your child ever again, I'll beat your face into such a pulp that even your mother won't recognize you!"

She was grasping his throat tight enough to where he couldn't talk but Aurora knew that. "You blink twice if you understand me." She said shaking him slightly.

Stone reluctantly blinked twice at her as blood started to seep from his nose and eye socket.

Aurora violently threw him to the ground as she stood over top of him. "How could you be so sick? Beating up a defenseless girl and hitting a child? You're not a man!" She said pointing in his face before stepping off of him and storming off into the dark woods.

As Aurora started to walk away she gasped as she felt something grab the back of her foot. Before she could react, Stone yanked on her foot, forcing her to her belly. He picked her up by the back of her head and smashed her into a tree. After doing that he spun around and smashed her into the side of the cave before finally throwing her down onto the ground.

With his grasp around her throat, Stone began to choke her, holding down her wings and back legs with his own.

Aurora started to gasp for air but she couldn't get any. She tried struggling but it was no use. She brought her two front feet up to her throat, trying to pull his away but his grip was too tight. Her back feet were kicking and her whole body was squirming as were her wings. She gasped and gasped, trying to fight back but Stone was determined to kill her.

After a while Aurora's kicking started to slow down a bit and she became more and more docile. Once stone saw that she was starting to slow down her struggling he tightened his grip around her throat and pushed her down to the ground.

Aurora took her front feet off of her throat, allowing him to get a tighter grip. As he did this, she used her now-free front feet to quickly lunge at his his face. Once her talons grabbed his head, one of her claws pierced his eyes, gouging it out.

Stone reared back in pain, letting out a blood-curdling scream as his eye-socket hemorrhaged until he eventually fell over onto his back, shrieking and shouting in agony.

Aurora writhed on the ground as she gasped for air, desperately out of breath. When she looked up she saw him charging at her yet again in a blind fury. Once he collided with her, she placed her front feet on his chest trying to push him away but he pushed her over until he was on top of her again.

He tried to pick her up and throw her again. As he reared up onto his hind legs again, Aurora got her footing on the ground and pushed forward with her front feet still on his chest. They fell over until Aurora fell on top of him. As Aurora fell on top of him, her claws inadvertently pushed into his chest, one of which pierced his heart.

Stone's eyes started to narrow as he let out a raspy gasp. He kicked ferociously at first, but the grave injury quickly slowed him down. After a while of slower and slower kicking, Stone went limp.

Aurora had a look of shock and horror on her face as she watched him painfully pass away. She quickly pulled her claws out of him and sat up straight over top of him.

As Aurora panted quickly, having been exhausted from the fight she looked down to see her claws covered and dripping with blood.

As Aurora looked down at her claws, stunned, the white light of the moon started to fade as a cloud passed in front of it. The land started to slowly fade into a pitch black void. The only sounds that could be heard were the crickets chirping and Aurora's exhausted breaths.


	24. Chapter 24: The Search (Part 1)

Some time after the incident in the forest, the members of the clan who were on guard duty immediately rushed to the scene, including High Dragon Tempest. When they arrived to see Aurora standing over the bloody corpse of one of their warriors with blood on her claws, they all looked shocked and at a loss for words.

It was still nighttime and the moon had once again resumed shining white light down on the land below, allowing everyone who had gathered around Aurora to see what was going on.

For a while nobody spoke as everyone appeared to be stunned by what they saw. Eventually Tempest walked forward and spoke. "Aurora, what have you done?" he said in dismay.

Aurora was still looking down at her claws. "I..." She said pausing for a bit. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this." She said as her voice trembled a bit.

Tempest took another step forward. "Aurora, listen to me, it's very important that you tell me what happened. I need to know now." He said getting a bit more stern.

After a while longer of silent hesitation, Aurora looked up to Tempest and cleared her throat. "I... I work up in the middle of the night, hearing a scream. When I went to go investigate I saw Ruby being beaten by Stone... he also slapped their child too... I stopped him and we fought..." She took another deep breath. "But things took a wrong turn, when I was leaving he tried to strangle me and I ended up killing him first." she finished.

"Do you know where Ruby is so she can back up your story?" Asked Tempest.

Cyclone suddenly arrived on the scene. He was awakened by the crackling lightning from Aurora's duel with Stone. When he got to the gathering he saw Aurora being questioned by Tempest. His jaw dropped and he tried to approach his mate but he was stopped by two of Tempest's warriors, who held him back.

"Aurora!" Said Tempest, worried about her.

Aurora turned and took a step forward toward Cyclone but Tempest lightly grabbed her by the arm, not letting her go until she was finished answering questions.

"I'll be fine, sweetheart." Said Aurora hoping to calm him down as she saw he was distraught. When she saw Tempest grab her, she turned to look back up to him.

"Do you know where Ruby is, Aurora?" Asked Tempest again.

Aurora shook her head. "No I don't. She left the scene as soon as I arrived."

Tempest's brow lowered as he started to grow a bit suspicious. "You're saying you came here to save Ruby's life, killing a warrior in the process, and now you don't even know where she is?"

"You think I would lie about this?" Inquired Aurora.

Tempest didn't respond as he didn't know what to say. His mind told him to trust Aurora as he always had, but his gut told him to treat the situation as impartially as he could.

"High Dragon, you've known me for a long time. I would never kill somebody in cold blood. Please you have to believe me." pleaded Aurora.

Tempest closed his eyes as he lowered his head to the ground. He knew he needed to be impartial. "I have known you for a long time Aurora, but we're weak now. The Battle of Stormheim has left us bruised and bleeding. We've lost a lot of warriors and the ones that we do have are mostly too injured to fight. Stone was one of the few able-bodied warriors we have left. I can't take any chances any more... I can't have the risk of anyone in our camp being dangerous." Said Tempest.

Tempest sighed, realizing he had no choice but to ensure the safety of his clan. He looked up to a few of the warriors who were surrounding them.

"Tie her up." Said Tempest reluctantly.

Aurora closed her eyes when she heard Tempest's decision. As the warriors slowly started to approach her and tie her up so they could take her to camp, Cyclone started to go berserk. The two warriors who were guarding Cyclone tried to restrain him but he began to overpower them.

Cyclone picked up one of the guards and threw him onto the ground on his back. He grunted as he struggled with the other guard. "Don't you touch her!" he shouted as he flailed about, knocking the other guard down too, but more of Tempest's warriors started to surround and restrain him.

"Cyclone!" Aurora shouted.

When Cyclone heard her voice, he stopped struggling and turned to look at her, giving the other guards a chance to restrain him and hold him down. As Aurora and Cyclone locked eyes, Cyclone started to calm down, but he was still distressed to see her like this.

Aurora looked up to Tempest. "I'll go willingly. Don't let them tie me up like some common criminal. Please Tempest... spare me the indignity of being carried back to camp in front of my clan." She asked.

Tempest sighed and looked down for a moment before before nodding. "Alright." He said, signalling his men to back off of her.

"Do you really think that she is guilty, Tempest?" Said Cyclone, frustrated, as he was being held down by warriors.

Tempest turned to Cyclone. "Once we find Ruby and she backs up Aurora's story, I can let her go. But for now, I can't take any chances. As long as Ruby is missing, I have to keep Aurora detained." He said before looking to the rest of the warriors, signalling them to head out.

The Warriors let Cyclone go and started to pick up Stone's dead body until he was hoisted up on one of their shoulders. After it was done, the Warriors joined the convoy that was escorting Aurora back to camp.

As Aurora was being led back to camp by the convoy, she turned her head around to see her mate sitting alone in dismay as he watched her being taken away. They didn't have time to say anything to each other, but the look in their eyes suggested an unbreakable bond of trust of love. No matter what, Cyclone refused to believe that Aurora was a killer.

After Aurora was taken away, Cyclone was all alone in the forest, his jaw still dropped in disbelief.

Back at camp, Aurora looked forward to see the cave where they held prisoners. It was familiar to her as she had spent her career on the Council trying to put dangerous people inside, only to see herself now being escorted inside to join them.

Aurora looked around as she was being escorted to the cave. She saw Warriors, Hunters, Nursery Attendants, and children, all looking at her in shock. She felt disgraced and ashamed to be seen in front of all of them.

Once they were inside the cave, they led Aurora into a private cell and locked the door.

As the warriors left, Tempest remained, looking through the bars to see Aurora. "I'm sorry Aurora." he said.

Aurora shook her head. "Nothing to be sorry about. I know you're just doing your job." She said.

Tempest nodded and turned to leave. When he exited the cave he looked down to see Cyclone trying to enter the cave as well. "Where are you going, Cyclone?"

Cyclone looked up to him. "To see her." he said in a hurry.

Tempest sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea." He said suspecting that he would do something crazy as he was clearly distraught.

Cyclone looked up to him. "She's my mate! I want to see her! I need to let her know that I'm still there for her. Please, High Dragon." Cyclone pleaded. "Just give me five minutes alone with her."

Tempest nodded. "Alright. Five minutes, Cyclone." he said sternly before stepping aside, allowing him to pass.

When Cyclone entered the prison he immediately rushed up to Aurora's cage and reared up on his hind legs and hooked his front claws through the bars to see her. "Aurora!" he said.

Aurora turned to see him and immediately rushed to the door, rearing up on her hind legs to see him too. "Cyclone!" She said, happy to see him, but also ashamed to have him see her in prison like this.

They moved their heads forward into a loving kiss on the lips, being able to slip their heads slightly in between the bars.

After they pulled away from the kiss Cyclone spoke up. "I have to get you out of here!" He said, worried about her still.

"I'll be fine Cyclone. But I need you to do something for me." She said.

Cyclone nodded. "Anything."

"I need you to find Ruby. She can back up my story. She is the only way I can get out of her. Please, you have to find her." She said urgently.

Cyclone nodded. "I will." He said as he moved his front foot forward to hold onto hers in a loving grasp. "I love you. I promise I will get you out of here."

Aurora nodded, interlocking claws with him lovingly. "I love you too." She said giving him one last kiss on the cheek. "Now go. I believe in you." she said.

Cyclone nodded again and turned to leave the prison, passing Tempest on his way out.

"Where are you going?" Said Tempest as he was still sitting down with his back up against the cave wall.

"To find Ruby." said Cyclone as he continued forward without stopping.

"I don't think that's a good idea. It's dark and we don't know-" Tempest said but he was cut short as Cyclone had already left. He knew there was nothing that could stop Tempest from getting his mate out of prison.


	25. Chapter 25: The Search (Part 2)

It was still late at night and darkness still covered the land. Most of the dragons who were awakened earlier by the commotion had gone back to sleep, but a few decided to stay up and ask around about what was happening, including Glade.

As Glade saw the rest of the clan going back to sleep she was able to catch Councilwoman Eclipse on her way back to her den.

"Councilwoman?" Said Glade as she approached Eclipse.

Eclipse let out a tired yawn as her eyes were half-way open. "Glade? What is it?" She asked, turning around and sitting to look at Glade while she folded her wings infront of her.

"What's going to happen to her?" Asked Glade.

Eclipse shrugged. "Probably nothing. Once we find Ruby and she backs up Aurora's story, Aurora will be let out of prison. Nothing to worry about." she said tiredly.

"Yeah I know but..." Glade paused for a moment. "What happens if Ruby doesn't make it back? Or if she doesn't back up Aurora's story?" She asked.

Eclipse huffed. "You aren't a glass half full kind of dragon are you?" She asked with a tilt of her head. "If Ruby doesn't come back we'll probably have to keep Aurora jailed and put her on trial... but that is highly unlikely. Cyclone will find Ruby in time."

"And if Aurora is found guilty?" Glade asked.

Eclipse pursed her lips as she knew the answer to that question was very grim. "Lets not think about that now. Just go and get some rest. All will be revealed tomorrow."

Glade nodded. "Alright thanks. Sorry for keeping you up, Councilor. I appreciate you inviting me to the girls meeting earlier today."

Eclipse smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "No apology needed, we're glad to have you here. We'll be meeting again tomorrow after Aurora is released should you like to join again."

"Sounds great." Said Glade with a nod as she watched Eclipse walk away back to her cave. Once Eclipse was gone she looked out towards the forest, debating something in her head.

Out in the woods, Cyclone was tracking Ruby's footprints. Cyclone was no hunter, and his tracking skills were not too advanced, but thankfully Ruby was inexperienced in hiding her tracks, and her footprints in the ground were visible as day. He tracked the footprints until they led to a small bear cave. When he peeked his head through the entrance he was greeted by a hot flash of lightning. He quickly backed up, avoiding being burned.

"Woah!" Said Cyclone as he avoided the lightning strike. He pushed his back up against the side of the cave. "Ruby its Cyclone. Please come out."

Ruby was in a state of shock. She didn't trust anybody, no matter how close they were to her or her friends. She cradled her child in her arms and shivered to herself as she prevented Cyclone from entering. The entrance to the cave was too narrow for Cyclone to reach in and grab her without getting burned or clawed.

"I'm not coming out! Stay away from me!" Ruby cried out.

Cyclone tried to reach into cave again. "Ruby I just want-" He was cut off as she lunged and tried to claw him, though he quickly recoiled and put his back up against the cave again and sighed. He knew the only way to get her out was to talk her out of it.

"Nobody is going to hurt you anymore. Stone is dead." Cyclone said.

"What?! Dead?" Ruby exclaimed.

"After Aurora tried to save you, Stone tried to kill her. Aurora killed stone in self-defense." Cyclone said.

Ruby said nothing, she focused on keeping her son warm and safe.

Cyclone sighed again. "Ruby I know you're scared but Aurora needs you. She's been framed for Stone's death and nobody believes her that she was protecting you. She needs you to clear her name." He reasoned.

"I'm not coming out!" Said Ruby as she was still hysterical and in shock. She wasn't thinking straight.

Cyclone knew he had to calm her down. His mate's safety was dependent on Ruby's return. "Why are you afraid Ruby?" he asked calmly.

"Males are monsters! Every male i've ever fallen for or befriended has hurt me! That's all they do is hurt! I thought I loved Stone but he almost killed me and my little baby!" She said as tears came to her eyes and she gave her child a kiss on the forehead.

"You're wrong Ruby. There is good in some of us. You have to keep trying until you find someone who can treat you right." He reasoned.

Ruby didn't respond to him. Cyclone kept trying to make small talk with her but she wasn't answering him.

"Ruby talk to me, please." Cyclone said but she wasn't answering him. Cyclone sighed and leaned his head against the cave as he sat down.

After waiting a few minutes Cyclone spoke up again. He huffed, amused. "You know, this situation has happened to me before. Back when me and Aurora were still children, on the night Eclipse told Aurora her parents had died, Aurora ran away and hid in a cave almost exactly like this one. She was making such a fuss nobody could get her out safely."

Cyclone chuckled. "You would think a little baby dragon wouldn't put up much of a fight, but you would be surprised. Aurora has always been a fighter. They couldn't get her out of the cave for nothing. They tried for hours." he said, recalling the day in his mind.

"What happened?" Asked Ruby.

Cyclone smiled as he was happy to hear Ruby talking to him again and that he had her attention. He continued his story. "Nobody could get her out. After a while of pestering the adults, I was able to convince them to let me talk to her. When I got there, Aurora was huddled in the back of the cave trying to hold back her tears but it wasn't working. Aurora was always tough as nails, and never wanted to show any weakness but she couldn't help it. I knew she was heartbroken, it was on her face plain as day." He continued.

Cyclone closed his eyes and sighed as he remembered the events like they were yesterday. "She tried not to cry but a few tears slipped down her tiny cheeks. She kept telling me that her family was dead and that she had nobody. I told her that she was wrong. Family is necessarily what you're born into... family is whoever you grow close to. Your friends, your elders, your clan... they're all family, and family sticks together. I slowly reached my front foot into the cave. She fought back at first but eventually I was able to get to her. I climbed into the cave a little bit at a time until I could touch her."

He took in a breath as he continued his story. "The closer I got the more her tears started to fall as she didn't want me to see her cry. I told her I would always be there for here. I promised that no matter what, I would keep her safe. Every step of the way I would be with her, to play with her, to have fun with her, to comfort her. I told her that I would be her new family." he continued.

He looked up to the sky. "You know, Aurora was always bullied as a kid, especially by the boys. Nobody understood why Aurora wanted to be on the council, why she wanted to be a part of the clan so bad. You see, kids don't think about their role in the clan... when you're a kid you don't think about the responsibilities you'll have when you're an adult, the only thing that matters is having fun...enjoying life... but not Aurora. She was more of a grown-up than some of the warriors... but everyone bullied her. The boys would often push her down, trip her, and insult her."

Cyclone slowly moved forward until he was sitting in front of the entrance of the cave, though surprisingly, Ruby wasn't attacking him. "I remember one time one of the boys in the nursery through a pile of mud of her face and she was about to cry but she ran off before she did. None of the boys respected her and she grew up thinking most boys were cruel and uncaring, that is until she met me. I defended her, I stood up for her, and I was there for her when everyone else was picking on her. I was there to wipe the mud off of her face. One day she told me that she trusted me more than anyone else in the world."

He circled back to the main point of the story. "She trusted me. When she was huddled up in the cave, she looked up to see it was me and she started to calm down. I told her that her family was not gone. I was there. I was her family. She grabbed a hold of me and I was able to get her out of the cave and take her home. She hugged me so tight I swear I was going to have a broken rib." He said with a chuckle.

He looked up to Ruby. "You're not alone, Ruby. Your family is here for you. I am here for you. You and I may not be related by blood, but we're still family. We belong to the same clan, we have each others backs. That is what a family does, they have each others backs. Aurora needs you right now. You're the only one who can help her. She had your back when you needed her the most, now she needs yours." He said.

Cyclone extended his front foot to Ruby, hoping to pull her out of the cave. After a bit of reluctance, Ruby picked up her child and then grabbed onto Cyclone and he was able to pull her out. When Ruby was out of the cave she buried her face into Cyclones chest and started to cry.

Cyclone was taken back at first by her outburst but he quickly put his wing around her to comfort her. "It's alright Ruby. Don't give up hope. I know one day you're going to find somebody you can trust, somebody that will take care of you and protect you. You just have to keep your eyes and your heart open and everything else will come naturally." He said giving her a comforting hug.

Ruby looked up to him. "Why can't all males be like you, Cyclone?" She said, realizing that maybe not all males were monsters after all.

"Well if all males were like me we there would be too many good looking dragons to compete with." He jested trying to lighten the mood with his usual cheesy quips.

The two of them both chuckled and Ruby pulled away from him to pick up her child. "Thank you Cyclone. You're a good man, and you've given me hope."

Cyclone nodded. "No thanks necessary."

Ruby smiled. "Lets go free Aurora."

A few hours later the sun was starting to rise and the darkness that surrounded the land was beginning to fade away. As the clan started to rise one by one, they heard one of the guards shout that they spotted someone approaching.

As Tempest and the others went to the entrance of the camp, they saw Ruby and Cyclone along with Ruby's child returning to camp. Tempest smiled and the rest of the clan started cheering for him.

"Take her to the infirmary." Said Cyclone as he was helping Ruby along. She was still injured from being beaten by her mate but she was for the most part healthy.

High Dragon Tempest huffed, impressed. "Well done, Cyclone. You're as good of a tracker as you are a fighter."

Cyclone shrugged. "She's wasn't that hard to track." He said smiling as he went to go see his mate.

Some time later, Aurora was let out of prison and the two of them shared a passionate hug and kiss. Aurora and Cyclone rubbed their foreheads against each other lovingly.

"You saved me." Said Aurora with a warm smile on her face.

Cyclone shrugged. "Well we're uneven again. I guess you owe me now." He joked.

Aurora chuckled. "I'll think of something."

They were outside of the prison in the grass when Eclipse showed up. "I'm here to examine Aurora." She said. "Need to make sure you don't have any broken bones or other injuries from your fight with Stone."

Aurora nodded and gently laid back and allowed Eclipse to examine her as she looked back to Cyclone. "How did it go?" she asked.

Cyclone rubbed the back of his neck. "It wasn't easy. She huddled up in a cave and refused to come out. I had to tell her a story so she would be comfortable enough to get out willingly."

"What story?" Aurora inquired as she twitched slightly from Eclipse touching her all over.

"The one about you in the cave as a child." He said. "Seemed appropriate."

Aurora chuckled as she realized just how long ago that was, yet she could remember it as if it was just yesterday. "You were just as kind and bold then as you are today." She complimented.

"Only for you." Said Cyclone as he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead which caused her to smile at him.

Eclipse covered her lip with the tip of her wing and backed away from Aurora appearing shocked. Aurora and Cyclone looked up to Eclipse.

"Whats wrong?" Asked Cyclone.

Eclipse turned her gaze toward Aurora as the two of them both stared at her. She started to giggle a bit as she looked at Aurora.

"What's so funny?" Asked Aurora.

Eclipse giggled to herself for a moment more before putting her wing down. "You might want to hold off on getting into anymore fights for a while." She said with a happy smile.

Aurora shrugged. "I don't understand. Why?"

Eclipse tilted her head at Aurora as she folded her wings in front of her and spoke up.

"Aurora, you're pregnant."


	26. Chapter 26: The Good News

Upon hearing the news, both Cyclone and Aurora's jaws dropped with shock and they quickly turned to each other as a happy grin started to grow on both of their faces. Cyclone quickly picked Aurora up off of her feet and started to spin her around with joy as the two of them laughed and celebrated.

Eclipse smiled as she folded her wings in front of her. It warmed her heart to see them happy as they had always held a special place in her heart.

When Cyclone put Aurora down they both kissed each other on the lips and then embraced into a tight hug as they continued to smile.

"We're going to be parents." Said Aurora as her chin rested on Cyclone's shoulder as they hugged.

Cyclone smiled and chuckled. "I don't know what to say. I've never been this happy before." He said as he pulled away from the hug to rub foreheads with her affectionately.

Councilwoman Eclipse let them celebrate happily for a moment more before speaking up. "Now I mean it, you two. Aurora needs to rest and take it easy. I know it's hard, but if you want to keep your children healthy you need to tone down all the hard work."

Cyclone didn't want to break the hug with Aurora. The two of them kept their wings around each other and pressed their cheeks together as they looked at Eclipse.

"What do I have to stop doing?" Asked Aurora. She was still overwhelmed with joy about her pregnancy, but it would be difficult to stop helping her clan when they need her.

Eclipse touched her chin with the tip of her wing as she thought. "Well no more fighting for sure. I would also recommend you stop hunting and carrying heaving things."

Aurora huffed. "What am I still allowed to do?"

"You can help me gather herbs for medicine so I can tend to patients. You can also help out in the nursury if they need you." said Eclipse.

"What about in our spare time?" Aurora inquired.

Eclipse thought for a moment. "You're still in the early stages of pregnancy. The two of you should still be able to go for a walk, or a run, or swim, or even have sex. It's always a good idea to exercise while you're pregnant but just keep it to a minimum just to be on the safe side." she finished.

When Cyclone saw that Aurora was a bit disappointed he turned her until they were looking into each other's eyes again. "A minor sacrifice, but it will all be worth it in the end. You're going to be a mother Aurora!" Said Cyclone happily. "And I'm going to be a father!"

Aurora's smile once again bloomed on her face as she pressed her head up against the base of his neck happily. "You're right."

Cyclone looked up and sighed happily. "I'm going to be a father. Do you know how wierd it feels to say that? It makes me feel all jittery, but in a good way."

As Eclipse started to pack up her things she spoke up once more. "I want to examine Aurora at least once every two days to see how she's coming along and to make sure she's healthy. I trust that you'll be able to hunt for her and keep an eye on her, Cyclone?"

Aurora chuckled. "I'm right here, Eclipse."

"I know." Said Eclipse. "But I know you. I know that you can resist the desire to help the clan."

Aurora rolled her eyes jokingly. "I promise I'll be good."

"To answer your question, Eclipse, yes I promise to keep an eye on her." Cyclone said giving Aurora a tight squeeze as he still had one wing around her.

Eclipse nodded and prepared to leave but before she did she turned her head around one more time. "I remember when the two of you were babies and I used to babysit you. Now you're having babies of your own. You both have come so far together. I have no doubts that you two will make excellent parents." She said smiling once more before turning to leave.

Once Eclipse was gone Aurora looked up to Cyclone and placed her wing over his chest. "Let's go back to our cave and see if we can find a good spot for the little ones." She said excitedly.

Cyclone nodded. "Of course! After you." he said gesturing her along.

It was always a minor inconvenience to have to walk because of Aurora's injury but Cyclone was so happy about the good news that he enjoyed every step of the way.

When they reached their hidden cave near the waterfall, they started pointing out corners and other possible locations where they could keep the nest. They were smiling and laughing with each other the entire time as they both were feeling nervous and excited at the same time about being first-time parents.

"We can put the nest right here." Said Cyclone as he pointed to a corner of the cave. "We can put rocks around the nest so they don't go wandering off while we're asleep."

Aurora nodded. "Works for me! How are we going to build it?" she asked?

"Well i'll handle the big logs and cutting the trees down. I'll need you to gather up some leaves, grass, and other plants to make the soft bedding for the nest. We'll need to keep the eggs as safe as possible." Said Cyclone.

Aurora perked an eyebrow at him. "Cyclone, I can handle bigger things than that."

Cyclone nodded. "I know you can, but we have to trust Eclipse. She's almost five times as old as we are and has many many years of experience dealing with pregnant dragons."

Aurora folded her wings infront of her as she looked down to the ground.

Cyclone turned his head to see her and slowly walked up to her to give her another soft hug. Using the tip of his wing, he propped her chin up so she was looking at him.

"Hey." He said with a warm comforting voice. "It's only for a little while. Once you've given birth you'll be free to do whatever it is you please. Plus all this extra rest will be good for your wings. When this is all over you and me are going to go flying again." He said trying to lift her spirits.

Aurora closed her eyes and sighed in relief as she smiled. "I would love that. I miss flying so much." She said as she moved her head to the base of his neck. "The world is so much more beautiful from above."

Cyclone smiled and rested his chin on the top of her head as she moved her head to the base of his neck. "Thats my girl." He said happily.

"The girls are having another meeting tomorrow. I'll gather some plants and leaves while I'm out." She said as she pulled away from the hug.

Cyclone nodded. "Good. While you're out, I'll get started on the logs and trees to make a base for the nest."

Aurora agreed with him happily. Her disappointment and frustration started to fade away until she was just happy and excited again.

"In the mean time." Said Cyclone. "I think we both could use a bath." He said, still feeling dirty from all the tracking he did the night before.

Aurora looked down and noticed that she was still covered in dirt and mud from her fight with Stone. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice it until now. "Oh dear, I am a mess."

"And we still have plenty of time left in the day. I think you could use a bath to calm your nerves" He said.

Aurora walked past him, chuckling. "I'm fine Cyclone. You don't have to keep worrying about me."

Cyclone shrugged and followed after her. He watched her slip into the water then quickly jumped in aswell and dunked his head under the water to clean off his face.

As Aurora started to clean herself off she couldn't help but be lost in thought. So many thoughts were going through her head. "How many children will there be? What sort of names do we give them? How long until I lay the eggs? How painful will giving birth be?" Aurora thought to herself as she looked down to the water.

After a few minutes of silent pondering, Cyclone swam up behind her and gently wrapped his front legs around her. His chest was pressed up against her back and he gave her a kiss on the side of her neck. He was still elated about the good news and couldn't stop showing affection to his beloved mate.

"Mmmm..." Hummed Aurora as she closed her eyes and smiled as she felt him wrapping her in a hug and kissing her neck.

"Come on, you can't fool me. You're still focusing on the negative." He said trying to calm her nerves as the two of them gently paddled to stay afloat in the water.

Aurora shook her head, trying to get all the negative thoughts out of her head. "You're right. I'm sorry." She said turned around in the water until her chest was pressed up against his. She wrapped her front legs around him too until they were both holding each other.

"Nothing to be sorry about." Said Cyclone. "We're going to be the happiest family in the entire camp. Judging by how our friends talk about their families, I'd say we're in good shape." He said with a chuckle.

Aurora nodded and smiled as she moved her head forward to kiss him on the lips. "You always know how to make me feel better. I'm so lucky to have you as a mate."

Cycloned nodded too. "Yes. Yes you are." he said with a cocky grin.

As the two of them laughed and played for a bit a longer, they heard a loud flapping of wings coming from above. They looked up to the sky to see Thunder, Cyclone's best friend and leader of the hunters, descending upon them.

"Thunder?" Cyclone said.

Thunder landed on the ground gently. When he saw the two of them taking a bath together he snickered to himself. "Having fun, you two? Getting all squeeky clean?" He said as he couldn't help but jest.

Cyclone huffed and rolled his eyes. "As a matter of fact, we are. By the looks of it, you appear overdue for a bath yourself."

Thunder shook his head. "Unfortunately that will have to wait. Vrykul forces are encroaching on our land again. Nothing too serious, we just need to route them back to their land and let them know ours is off limits."

Cyclone and Aurora both nodded and starrted to swim to shore where Thunder was until Thunder placed his wing infront of Aurora, preventing her from coming ashore.

Aurora lowered her eyebrows and looked up to him. "Problem?" Said Aurora.

Thunder shook his head. "This order comes directly from the council. I was told you're to stay behind on this one, Aurora. Sorry." He said.

"Ordered? By whom?" Asked Aurora.

"Councilwoman Eclipse." Thunder replied.

Aurora huffed. "Unbelievable. What? She's making decisions for me now like she's my mother-" she said but was cut off by Cyclone.

Cyclone turned her until she was facing him and looked into her eyes. "Aurora." He said until he had her attention. "We need you to relax and be safe. Eclipse is just looking out for whats best for you. It's not even that important of a mission, we'll be back before you know it." He said gently rubbing her shoulder.

Aurora sighed and nodded. "Fine." she said disappointed.

"I'll be back soon. I love you." He said hoping she would give him a goodbye kiss.

Aurora couldn't help but smile as his positive tone of voice lifted her spirits a bit. She moved forward to give him a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you too. Be safe."

Cyclone nodded and then took off with Thunder into the sky.

As Aurora watched them fly away she turned back around and started floated still in the water. "Can't fight, can't fly, can't lift, can't work. What else is there to do?" Said Aurora outloud to herself as she sighed and stared at her reflection in the water.


	27. Chapter 27: The Offer

The majority of able-bodied warriors and hunters were attending the strategy meeting while everyone else was left behind. The girl's meeting was rather small today as Vale, Brook, and Shadow were all at the meeting. It was just Ruby, Eclipse, and Aurora in the valley.

The three girls were laying on their bellies and talking while birds rested on their wings and foxes were licking their feet. Ruby was left behind because she was just a nursery attendant and had no combat training, Eclipse was the clan's main medic and it was important for her to stay behind to tend to any wounded that may come back from the mission, and Aurora was staying behind at Eclipse's behest due to her pregnancy.

As the three of them laid on their bellies and talked, they helped Aurora assemble her nest by gathering flowers, leaves, and grass for the nest's bedding. Aurora was grateful for their help but she couldn't help but feel useless as she was left out of the mission that everyone else was on.

After a while of gathering, Aurora stopped picking flowers and sighed as she looked down to the ground and rested her cheek on her front leg.

Eclipse looked up from her herb gathering to see Aurora troubled. "Are you okay, Aurora?" Eclipse asked as she was worried that Aurora was still mad at her for ordering her to stay behind.

Aurora shook her head. "Not really."

Eclipse put her herbs down to look Aurora in the eye. "You want to talk about it?"

"I just feel useless now. Everyone else including Brook, Vale, and Shadow, are out risking their lives for the clan, fighting to protect our land. Meanwhile I'm laying around picking flowers and letting foxes lick my feet." She said as she felt at least two foxes nipping at her toes. She looked down at her pile of flowers and leaves.

"It's not that important of a mission." Said Ruby, hoping to make her feel better. "We deal with the Vrykul at least once a month."

"That doesn't matter. I'm one of the best fighters in the entire camp and i'm being left behind so I can be 'safe' as they say." Said Aurora.

Eclipse folded her front legs in front of her as conversed with the two of them. "So you feel as though you're useless if you're not fighting?" Eclipse asked.

Aurora nodded.

"Well there's the problem." Said Eclipse as she prepared to share her wisdom with Aurora. "I think I can help you to better visualize this."

"How?" Aurora inquired.

"Think of it this way." Eclipse said. "Think of our entire clan as one single body. When you fight, you use your teeth, claws, and magic. Those three things are what win battles so naturally you assume that those are the most important parts of your body. But in order for those parts to do their job, other parts need to do their job, otherwise you can't even use them." She said.

Aurora thought to herself for a moment as she took in Eclipse's words.

"Lightning breath is impossible unless you have strong healthy lungs. You can't bite or use your teeth without a firm jaw. You can't claw or scratch without steady healthy feet. The point is, you may think that you're useless because you can't fight, but that isn't true. The same principle as the body applies to our clan. Without a nursery attendant to watch over the children, no warriors would ever go off to battle and leave their children alone. Without a medic we would lose dragons faster than we can birth them. Warriors need to eat, without a dedicated hunter team, everyone would starve." Eclipse continued.

"Do you see?" Eclipse said as she tilted her head at Aurora. "You're not useless Aurora. You're a valuable asset to the clan even if you aren't fighting. This clan survives because people like me and Ruby do our jobs. Fighting isn't everything. By helping me gather medicine or by helping Ruby watch the children, you're as valuable to the body as the claw or tooth."

Aurora smiled as she thought about what Eclipse was saying. "You know what? You're absolutely right. I never thought about it like that before. I don't have to fight to be useful to my clan." She said looking up again to the both of them.

"See, that's the spirit." Said Eclipse, happy to see Aurora finally understanding.

"Who knows?" said Ruby. "Maybe some of the medicinal herbs you gather today might end up saving someone's life. Whether you're on the battlefield fighting for our freedom, or laying in the grass picking flowers, either way you're saving lives."

Aurora nodded. "A good point, Ruby. You two have made me feel a lot better." she said with a smile.

"That's what friends are for." Said Eclipse happily. "Now then. Shall we get back to work?" She said as she unfolded her front legs and started sorting through herbs.

"Yes we shall." Said Ruby as both she and Aurora went back to sorting through their herbs and flowers.

After a while of silent picking, Aurora looked up to Ruby. "Does it hurt?" She asked.

"Does what hurt?" Ruby asked as she continued to work.

"Giving birth." Said Aurora.

For a moment Eclipse glared at Ruby with a wide-eyed look and shook her head when Aurora wasn't looking, trying to give Ruby a subliminal message to say 'no' in response. She knew that giving birth was agonizingly painful but she didn't want Aurora worrying again.

Ruby looked to Eclipse, getting the message before looking back to Aurora. "Um...not really. It's a little uncomfortable." She said, trying not to bite her lip as she remembered when she give birth and how painful it was.

Aurora nodded, appearing deep in thought.

Eclipse quickly spoke up. "Let's not talk about that right now. You still have a long ways to go before you're ready to give birth. In the meantime I want to make you an offer Aurora."

"An offer?" Said Aurora. "Go on."

"Well as you already know, I'm our clan's only medic, and I'm also one of two wyrms in the clan." Eclipse said.

Eclipse was right about being a wyrm. There are four stages of a dragon's life cycle: Whelplings, the newborn infant dragons, Drakes, the maturing adolescent dragons, regular Dragons, the fully mature adult dragons, and Wyrms, the oldest most ancient dragons who have lived hundreds of years. Wyrms are the oldest, largest, and wisest of all dragons due to their many years of experiences. Councilwoman Eclipse and High Dragon Tempest were the only wyrms in the entire camp.

"If anything were to ever happen to me the clan would be in deep trouble. I want to offer you an apprenticeship under me to become the next medic should anything happen to me." Said Eclipse.

Aurora appeared shocked but interested. After the speech Eclipse gave earlier, Aurora was already thinking about the possible ways she could help the clan besides fighting. "You think I would be good at it?" she asked.

Eclipse nodded. "You're going to be pregnant for a while. Being a medic doesn't require a lot of physical exertion. To be a good medic requires a good mind; to be able to remember each plant's medicinal properties, to know how to treat a wide variety of injuries. I can teach you how to save lives without ever raising a claw." Eclipse continued.

Aurora stared at the ground, deep in thought without saying a word.

"You need to take a break Aurora." Eclipse said.

Aurora lifted her head. "From what?"

"Fighting." Eclipse said. "Something has happened to you. Ever since the day you were brought home from Nithogg's camp you have done nothing but fight, stand guard, hunt, and rescue people. It seems to me that after your experience in Nithogg's camp you have defined who you are by your ability to fight. You used to volunteer in the nursery, you used to teach the little ones, helped us build caves, gave counsel to others, and so on." Said Eclipse.

Ruby chimed in for a moment. "Not that fighting or standing guard is a bad thing. You're a very smart dragon, Aurora. We need your sharp mind, not just your sharp claws." she said.

Aurora nodded. "All valid points. I never noticed it until now. Maybe it's time I give something else a try." She said looking up to Eclipse. "I accept your apprenticeship, Eclipse."

Eclipse smiled happily. "Wonderful. You're going to do great." She said, happy to know that the clan would be in good competent hands should she ever pass away. She was also excited to spend time with Aurora again, as she hadn't really spent time with Aurora on a daily basis since Aurora was a child.

Ruby perked her head up, looking to the both of them. "Well I should head on down to the nursery to start my shift. I assume you two have work to do." She said looking to Eclipse.

Eclipse nodded. "Indeed." She said. Eclipse ruffled her wings to shake the birds off of her. She looked behind her at the foxes licking her feet and gently shooed them away so she could stand up. "We'll see you around, Ruby."

Aurora brushed herself off aswell and stood, ready to follow Eclipse's lead. As Ruby stood up and bid them one last farewell, Aurora started to feel better about herself. She wasn't feeling doubtful or remorseful like she was before. She was excited to learn how to help her clan in different ways. She also couldn't help but think about Cyclone, wondering if she could one day surprise him with her medicinal skills.

"Everything alright, Aurora?" Eclipse asked as she started to walk deeper into the valley.

Aurora shook her head. "I'm fine. I just wondering how things are going with Cyclone and the warriors." She said following after Eclipse.


	28. Chapter 28: Harsh Negotiations

High Dragon Tempest, Cyclone, The Warriors, Hunters, and Councillors were gathered around the meeting stone in the center of the camp, discussing strategy on how to deal with the Vrykul encroaching on their land.

Thunder, the leader of the hunters, was pointing to a map of the land that they had drawn in the ground. The Vrykul forces were coming from a fortified village known in the Vrykul tongue as 'Hrydshal'.

"Our best chance to minimize casualties is to send a small attack band to their gates, draw them into a trap and have the rest of us ambush them from the sky." Said Thunder.

Cyclone shook his head. "They wouldn't fall for it. They know their best advantage is to stick to their walls and keep us within Harpoon range. They wouldn't risk straying too far from their village."

"Then we bombard them." Said Tempest. "From long range. Surround Hrydshal and force them to come out and face us."

Councilman Storm seemed weary. "All of these options will come with heavy casualties on our side. Is there no other way to deal with this threat without sacrificing our own?"

"I know a way." Said a voice in the crowd. Tempest and the others perked their heads up to look at the crowd. The voice sounded like it came from a female dragon.

As the crowd parted, Glade made her way to the center of the camp to join them.

"I'm surprised." Said Tempest. "I didn't expect you to be here, Glade. You say you know of another way?" He inquired.

Glade nodded and smirked. "We trick them into backing off."

Councilman Storm scoffed. "Trick them? How do you figure that?"

"I will deceive them." Said Glade. "For many many years there has always been a three-way free-for-all between my old clan, your clan, and the Vrykul. All of us have been at each other's throats for as long as I can remember, and it kept a balance of power between the three of us. We can deceive them because you have me in your clan." Continued Glade.

"The Vrykul know nothing of what happened at the Battle of Stormheim. As far as they're concerned, the balance of power is still intact. I suggest that I and someone else go to the enemy's gates and trick them into thinking our clans have formed an alliance." Said Glade.

Tempest rubbed his chin. "To treat with them?"

Glade nodded. "Exactly. Make it seem like I am the ambassador of my clan, joining forces with your clan. They know they can't defeat both dragon clans combined. They'll have no option but to work out a deal with us." She said.

"Hmmm." Cyclone hummed. "Very clever. Do you think they would buy it?"

"Absolutely." Glade said. "They know nothing of my involvement in this clan. If they see a purple dragon and a blue dragon standing side by side, they'll know we mean business."

Cycloned seemed intrigued. "All valid points. Do you approve, Highdragon?"

"Sounds like a decent plan to me. Will you be going along side her, Cyclone?" Said Tempest.

Cyclone nodded. "I will. In case things go south, have the clan hidden behind the tree line. If things go wrong I'll signal with a thunder strike. It's very important that they think we come alone and in peace. If they see you all outside the gates they'll see it as a threat of war."

"Understood." Said Tempest. "I'll get the clan ready."

Cyclone and Glade turned to face each other. "I sure hope your plan works." Said Cyclone.

"I think you overestimate the Vrykul. They're not as intelligent as the smaller humans." She said.

He nodded slowly. "We'll see."

A few hours later the sun was at the highest point in the sky. Glade and Cyclone were standing shoulder to shoulder alone in the field right outside Hrydshal. They started to walk together until they came to the gates of the village. Once they reached the gates, two Vrykul on top of the gate pointed their bows at the two dragons while one captain stood up.

"Halt!" The Captain said. "State your business, dragons, or be fired upon."

"We seek an audience with your thane. We come alone and in peace." Said Cyclone.

The Captain disappeared for a moment to seek approval to let them in. As Cyclone and Glade waited outside the gate to be let in, Glade leaned over to whisper into Cyclone's ear.

"Let me do the talking in here." Glade said.

Cyclone leaned back over to her. "How can I trust that you'll say the right things?"

"Trust me." Said Glade. "Nithogg's clan was closer to Hrydshal than your clan was. We had to deal with them a lot more than you did. I know how they think, how they negotiate. If you want peace without bloodshed then you're just going to have to trust me." She said.

Cyclone sighed. "Alright." he said reluctantly. He knew deep down that Glade had a good heart but he didn't know anything about her experience in diplomacy. He feared that she might say something to put them in danger. Nonetheless, he stayed quiet.

The gates in front of them started to slowly open. The captain gestured for them to come forth.

When Glade and Cyclone were inside the village, they were greeted by many spears, axes, and bows pointed at their heads as they were escorted to the throne of the thane.

As they walked through the village Cyclone looked around, seeing many warriors covered in armor with frighteningly decorated helmets and sharp weapons. It was hard to be at ease when they were surrounded by such a ferocious looking army.

They were escorted to a large wooden castle. The guards backed off and formed a circle around the two dragons before kneeling down. Cyclone and Glade looked up to see a large hulking Vrykul adorned with a spiked gray helmet, a double edged halberd, and a long gray cape that slid across the ground as the thane of the vrykul slowly approached them before standing still in front of them. He rammed his halberd into the ground beside him and folded his arms. Both Cyclone and Glade sat down.

"Glade." said the Vrykul.

"Thane Irglov." Said Glade.

Cyclone perked up with surprise. He didn't expect the two of them to know each other.

The Vrykul Thane kept his arms folded and looked over both of them from their heads to their feet. "Who is this?" he said with a deep dark voice as he looked at Cyclone.

"This is Cyclone, ambassador of Highdragon Tempest's clan." Said Glade as the Vrykul turned his attention toward her. "

Irglov scoffed and spat on the ground. "What is this?" he said to her.

"This is the end." Said Glade. "Nithogg and Tempest have set aside their differences and joined forces. You can't stop the combined might of both of our clans, Irglov."

Irglov started to laugh with a deep-throated chuckle. "You expect me to believe that two blood rivals would suddenly join forces in such short notice?"

"I don't care what you believe. What I believe is that if you don't listen to what I have to say, your little village is going to go up in smoke." Glade threatened.

Cyclone seemed to get more nervous. He wasn't accustomed to this style of brash negotiation.

Irglov spat on the ground around and kept his arms folded. "What do you want?"

"I want you to stop expanding your territory into Tempest's land. They are allied with us and you will give them the same respect and distance you gave to my clan." Glade said.

Irglov huffed. "Tempest has enough land. My clan can use that land to build houses on. The other surrounding ground is too steep to build on."

"I don't care." Said Glade. "They were there first."

"We won't give it up without a fight." Said Irglov.

Glade nodded. "Under normal circumstances I would agree. You could probably stand a good chance against Tempest's clan but you won't stand a chance against the two of our clan's combined."

Irglov shook his head. "You underestimate our might. We can stand against you."

"Do you really want to risk it?" Said Glade. "I don't think you do but perhaps we can work out a deal where no bloodshed is involved."

Irglov smirked and stroked the beard on his chin. "I'll duel you for the land. I will accept nothing else."

Glade nodded. "I expected as much from you. You have a deal but first let's sweeten it some more shall we? If I win I want ten of your largest cattle to feed my clan."

"And If I win, I get to break off and keep both of your claws to make weapons out of." Said Irglov pointing to both Cyclone and Glade's feet. "Front and back claws." He said with a grin.

Glade grinned as well. "Deal."

"Woah woah woah." Cyclone said scooting Glade aside for a moment to speak with her. "What are you doing? You're betting both of our claws on a duel? Why are you trying to 'sweeten the pot' anyway?" He said shocked and a bit angry.

"I need you to trust me, Cyclone. Remember?" Said Glade.

Cyclone stared at her for a moment, not sure what to think or say. He obviously didn't feel comfortable having his own claws being used as a gambling token.

Before Cyclone could respond she turned back to Irglov. "You have a deal."

"Outside the gates in fifteen minutes." Said Irglov as he motioned for his guards. "Give her whatever she needs. Food, water, whatever." He said before going back into his castle.

As his guards began escorting Cyclone and Glade out of the place Cyclone continued to express his doubts.

"This wasn't part of the deal." Said Cyclone. "Why are you digging us deeper into this mess?" He said, annoyed.

Glade shrugged. "I know these Vrykul. Irglov isn't going to fight me directly. He's their leader and he can't risk being maimed and rendered unable to lead his people. He'll send out a champion to fight in his honor, most likely a spellcaster."

"What happens if you lose?" Said Cyclone.

"Claws grow back. But I don't plan to lose mine today." She said as they were finally escorted out of the village and onto the open field.

"I should be the one to fight him, not you. I couldn't ask you to stick your neck out like this for a clan you've only been apart of for a few days." Said Cyclone as they sat beside each other, waiting on Irglov and his champion.

Glade looked at him and smiled. "You don't have to ask, I want to do this. Your clan is my new family, and besides you're going to be a father soon, Cyclone. I want you to be happy and healthy so you can raise your children the right way. I don't want your family to see you all beaten up and bloodied. Who knows, maybe if i'm successful the dragons back at camp will stop staring at me like i'm some kind of stranger." She said.

Cyclone smiled back and was touched by her courage. "Well the clan is watching right now. They're hidden behind the treeline. If ever there was a time to prove your loyalty to the clan it would be now."

She nodded. "True." She said. "In case don't make it out of this with my jaw intact, tell Thunder that I always thought he was kind of cute." She said with a smile and slight chuckle.

Cyclone's eyes widened with surprise as he looked at her, but before he could say anything the door in front of them started to open.

It was several minutes later and Glade was standing face to face with Irglov's champion. The champion was wearing robes like a spellcaster and had fierce black and white war paint adorning his face. Both of his hands crackled with lightning power. He carried a long two-handed sword on his back with several daggers and swords surrounding his belt.

Cyclone patted Glade on the shoulder. "Good luck." He said.

She shook her head. "I don't need luck." She said feeling confident.

Thane Irglov stood between the two combatants and began to signal the fight to start. "Fight with honor, Dragoness, and we will keep our word. Now, Begin!" He shouted before backing off to give them some room.

Before Glade could even turn her eyes from Irglov to her opponent, the champion was already charging at her with lightning-charged fists. He struck Glade across the face, shocking and knocking her back. When Glade regained her footing, her lip was bleeding but she was nowhere near done with him.

Glade reared up on her hind legs and started beating her wings rapidly, sending a mighty gust of wind towards his direction in hopes of blowing him away.

Before the champion could be blown away he quickly drew his sword and struck it into the ground before grabbing hold of it. He held onto the hilt of the blade steadily to avoid being blown away. He held onto the sword with one hand and with his other hand he charged his fist with lightning before grabbing a dagger and hurling it in her direction.

The lightning charge gave the dagger increased speed and resistance to the wind she was channeling. Glade had to stop beating her wings to cover her face from being struck. She held up her front leg to shield her head until the dagger struck her front leg, piercing through to the other side.

She growled and quickly pulled the knife out of her leg with her teeth. As she was removing the knife, the champion drew his two-handed sword from the ground and began to rush her once again.

Before his sword fell upon her, she raised her front leg and managed to interlock her claws with his sword, stopping the blow. She then swept her claws to the side, hurling his sword far away before back-hand smacking him across the face. The blow caused him to stumble back but he managed to stay standing.

Glade didn't give him a even a second to recover. She immediately took in a deep breath before exhaling pure lightning upon him. The champion quickly shielded himself with a lightning shield which he maintained for as long as he possibly could.

After about ten seconds of heavy breathing from Glade, she suddenly charged her tail with electricity and did a full circular spin to strike him with her tail. The force of her attack shattered his shield and sent him flying back many yards before landing on his back.

The champion got up, entered a frenzied state, and started flailing his arms into the air as fast as he could. With each swipe of his hand he send a small lightning arrow towards Glade's direction. Given how fast he was swiping, he soon began unleashing a volley of arrows upon her.

Glade quickly shielded herself with her wing which absorbed most of the attack. As she started to take damage from the assault she began charging a spell which caused her throat to glow a bright blue. She unshielded herself for a moment to unleash a destructive ball of energy toward him.

The moment she unshielded herself she started to take heavy damage from his strikes but she managed to unleash her ball of lightning. Once the lightning ball was near the Vrykul champion it exploded creating a deafening blast and a flash of blinding light.

When next Glade looked up, she had char marks all around her body, but the champion was laying on his back on the ground in pain. She quickly ran over to him and attempted to pin him down with her front left foot. Before she could pin him, the Vrykul shielded himself once more protecting himself from her grasp.

Glade reared up on her hind legs once more and came crashing down upon him which shattered his shield and allowed her to pin him to the ground, each of her claws pinning down his arms and legs.

"You are beaten." Glade said to the champion before giving him a fierce headbutt. With her skull being ten times thicker than his, she easily knocked him unconscious.

She stepped away from the fallen Vrykul and approached Irglov once more. "The cattle, Irglov." She said wanting to collect what was hers and leave.

Irglov folded his arms and wrinkled his brow as it was difficult to admit defeat. After a while he started laughing and clapping his hands. "Well done. Either you fight with legendary prowess or I need to find better champions."

"Both." Said Glade, not amused.

"Still though..." Said the Thane. "I can't help but have my doubts. How do I know your clans are really working together?" He said.

"You want to find out?" Glade threatened, her tone becoming more serious.

Irglov paused for a moment as he grinned at her. After a while he huffed and spat on the ground. "Bring the cattle." He said to one of his henchmen.

As Glade watched them escorting the cows outside of the gates she looked back to the Thane once more. "I expect you to keep your word. Keep out of the valley at the base of the mountain." She said, intending to stop his forces encroaching on Tempest's land.

Irglov watched as his men handed over the cattle to her. "Till we meet again, Dragoness." he said picking up his weapon.

"We won't." Said Glade before she snatched up the rope that all the cows were tied to. She then proceeded to make her way towards Cyclone who was still in the crowd.

Cyclone seemed shocked. "Wow." He said. "If you weren't welcomed among us before you sure are now." He said to her with a smile.

Glade huffed. "You seem surprised. Did you doubt my skillset?" She inquired.

"I did before. I don't now." Said Cyclone as he looked her over. He noticed that her front leg was bleeding heavily from the dagger strike. "We should get you back to camp and get that leg treated."

"After I deliver these." She said, looking back at the cattle.

Cyclone looked over the ten fat cows. "The clan will make good use of these."

Glade nodded. "I'm taking one for myself. Worked up quite an appetite." She jested.

Cyclone chuckled. "You've earned it." He said as they both turned around and began walking back to camp with the cows leashed right behind them.


	29. Chapter 29: A Thankless Job

Aurora and Eclipse were sitting alone in the valley practicing medicine while the rest of the clan was dealing with the Vrykul situation. Eclipse laid out a spread of different medicines and was quizzing Aurora to see what she had learned so far.

"To treat infection we would use what?" Eclipse said, using the tip of her wing to gesture toward each one of the herbs in front of her.

Aurora thought for a moment, scratching her chin. She made her decision and picked up the herb on the far left. "Foxflower." she said.

Eclipse smiled and nodded. "Very good! Do you know where we can find them?" She asked next.

"Here in Stormheim." Said Aurora.

Eclipse pursed her lips for a moment. "Well...they can grow occasionally here in Stormheim but they're mostly from Highmountain. Remember, they grow grow on either side of a mountain but not on the mountain itself."

Aurora nodded. "Ah, yes."

"What about this one?" Said Eclipse holding up a green herb.

"Dreamleaf." Said Aurora.

"From?" Insisted Eclipse.

"Val'sharah." Aurora answered, feeling proud of herself that she had memorized so much in such short notice.

Eclipse nodded again. "Very good. Eventually we're going to need to scavenge for more herbs. We're running low. The only downside is that there is a lot of competition for these herbs." She said packing up them up into a bag.

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "Competition you say?"

"Indeed." Eclipse said with a disappointed tone of voice. "The Vrykul and the smaller more intelligent humanoids like to gather these herbs as well. Not only are the herbs native to broken Isles medicinal, but they also have unique properties that allow them to be mixed with other chemicals to make potions. But we'll have to work around it as we need to gather more."

Aurora looked down at the ground. "Yeah. If only there was some way I could travel faster than just walking from place to place." She said sarcastically as she still missed her ability to fly. For a flightless dragon like herself, she know gathering herbs would be a long and grueling task.

Eclipse sympathized with her and brought her wing around Aurora's shoulder. "There's still hope, Aurora. You just need more time to heal, that's all." She said trying to lift her spirits.

"What do we need?" Asked Aurora as she wanted to get to work fast and get it over with.

Eclipse thought for a moment. "Maybe twenty of each? Definitly not Fjarnskaggl, we have plenty of that here since it grows naturally in Stormheim." She said as she handed Aurora the bag of herbs to take on her journey.

"But don't worry about getting them all in one trip, Aurora. You can get the Foxflower today and the rest some other day. Just get the Foxflower and call it a day." Eclipse said.

Aurora nodded. "I'll see what I can do. Are you coming with me?"

Eclipse frowned, disappointedly. "I'm afraid not. If somebody needs urgent treatment I need to be here. Besides I think this would be a good test of your knowledge. Once you learn how to collect herbs we can move onto more advanced material."

Aurora started to tie the bag around her neck. "Like what?"

"This is just basic medicine. Using single herbs to treat people and learning how to harvest is just the beginning. The next step is learning how to combine and mix different herbs to treat different ailments. Foxflower treats infection by itself yes, but to treat a poison you would need to mix Dreamleaf with Aethril and stir it into water. To treat food sickness you would need to mix Foxflower with Fjarnskaggl and Felwort. There are many many combinations of herbs to treat all sorts of ailments. You'll learn in time but for now we're just taking baby steps." Eclipse said as she finished packing up.

Aurora seemed surprised by the scope of the job but nonetheless she nodded and respected Eclipse's wisdom. "I understand. I better get going while it's still morning. Traveling on foot might take me a while."

"Alright" Said Eclipse. "Best of luck to you. Remember, don't over-exert yourself." Said Eclipse reminding Aurora once again before Aurora started walking off, heading to Highmountain first.

It took Aurora about an hour to get to Highmountain. Walking all the way there was tiresome but she made it. She remembered Eclipse's advice that Foxflower grows on either side of a mountain, but with her inability to fly, there was no way she was going into Highmountain. She would have to go around it to collect what she wanted.

When she arrived at the base of the mountain she found a Foxflower laying right on front of her which she immediately collected.

"Good start I guess." Aurora thought to herself as she tucked the flower away into her bag of herbs.

Finding the next Foxflower was trickier. As Aurora started looking around she noticed many broken flower stems where Foxflower used to be but was already harvested. She looked around everywhere, near trees, bushes, boulders, and near the shore but nothing. Nothing but broken stems and plucked leaves.

Aurora continued on and worked her way up the coast of Highmountain, looking for any signs of Foxflower anywhere but she couldn't find any. After a few more minutes of searching she looked up to see a patch of Foxflower blooming on a cliff to her left. Her disappointed frown turned into a hopeful smile.

Normally she could just fly up to the cliff and pick it but with her broken wing she would have to find another way. She noticed a nearby pile of fallen boulders that she could scale. After climbing to the top of the boulders she started hooking her front claws into the dirt on the side of the cliff and started to climb her way up.

She carefully continued to climb, using her claws as hooks to work her way up the cliff. When she was near the top she reached out to try and pluck a few flowers. The Foxflower was just inches away from her grasp when a loud swoosh came in over her head.

The sudden gust of air caused her to loose her grip and she fell off the side of the cliff. She fell about twenty feet before landing on her back with a loud thud. As Aurora groaned in discomfort she looked up to see a male Tauren who was riding a large Wyvern. The Tauren dismounted and began picking the patch of Foxflower.

"Hey!" Aurora exclaimed. "That was mine!" She protested as she was laying on her back. The Tauren didn't even acknowledge her. He simply took his prize and got back on his Wyvern to ride off into the distance.

After the tauren flew off, Aurora covered her face with her wings in frustration as she remained on her back. When she uncovered her face she tilted her head up to look down at her belly, making sure her unborn children were alright. Luckily she didn't land on her stomach or hit her stomach in any way as she fell.

As she stared at her belly she could see the noticeable little bump where her eggs where. She gently rubbed the bump in her belly with her wings as she began to realize how dangerous it was for her to have climbed the cliff in the first place. Already she could hear Eclipse's voice in her head telling her not to physically exert herself.

Aurora sighed and sat up straight, rubbing her aching back a bit as she prepared to get going again. She quickly kissed the bump in her belly, promising to herself not to do anything dangerous anymore before standing up once again to go look for more herbs.

It took Aurora two hours to collect the twenty Foxflower she needed. By now it was already noon. Aurora remembered that Eclipse said to just get the Foxflower but the day was still young. Aurora wanted to impress Eclipse and the rest of her clan. She decided to soldier on and get the rest of the herbs she needed. The next item on her list was the Dreamleaf of Val'sharah.

Getting to Val'sharah was even more of a chore with even more obstacles. When Aurora arrived she was exhausted but at the same time still motivated to complete her task.

It didn't take Aurora long to find out that most of Val'sharah was split into two parts; the dead, wilted, and glowing red forest to the north, and the the vibrant, lush, and green forests to the south. She immediately took to the south to begin collecting her herbs.

"Please let there be no heavy competition for these herbs..." Aurora thought to herself as she began harvesting.

Once again it took her a couple of hours to find what she needed, but right as she was plucking her twentieth herb she unknowingly walked into a trap and found herself tangled in a large net.

Aurora frantically tried to claw and scratch her way out of the net but the most she struggled the more she got herself tangled up. As she desperately tried to escape she was soon surrounded by a hunting party of Night Elves. One elf stood out in particular as she was riding a white tiger and dressed in robes that were pure white and decorated with shiny gems. She wore a crystal tiara on the top of head and held a silver bow in her hand.

Aurora started to shake nervously as she was afraid of losing not only her own life but the lives of the children inside of her.

The Night elf with white robes looked down upon Aurora and noticed she was pregnant. The Elf drew a knife from her robe and started walking toward Aurora slowly.

Aurora closed her eyes and waited for whatever grisly fate awaited her. Though much to her surprise, the Elf cut Aurora free from the net.

When Aurora looked up, the Elf spoke to her. "Ishnu-dal-dieb. Ande'thoras-ethil, Min'da." She said but Aurora didn't know what she was saying. She only spoke Draconic and a bit of Vrykul.

The elves backed up to give Aurora some room but she didn't know what to think or say. She just nodded to the elven priestess and quickly packed up her herbs to continue on her journey.

As Aurora began to run off she started thinking to herself. Why was she let go? Who were those people? Questions for another day, she reasoned.

By the time Aurora got to Azuna to collect her Aethril, she was so exhausted she felt like her legs were going to collapse right out from under her but at the same time she knew she had a job to complete.

Unlike the other places Aurora had been to, Azuna had very little places to hide. Most of the land was out in the open with hardly any forests or mountains to provide cover. Aurora had already endangered herself twice. This time she was going around the edges of the map to avoid as much trouble as she possibly could.

Of course gathering herbs safely like this took much longer. It took Aurora three hours of moving up and down the coast to find the herbs she needed. By the time she was finished, she was so tired that she couldn't bring herself to finish the stash. She still needed the Starlight rose from Suramar but she couldn't do it. It was time to head home.

Azuna and Stormheim were on polar opposite sides of the map. For Aurora to get home it would take several hours but Aurora wasn't a quitter. She was determined to get the medicine home for the good of the clan.

Three more hours later and it was evening. Aurora finally made it back to camp, totally and completely exhausted.

She was ready to impress her mentor and the rest of the clan. She returned to Eclipse's den but she wasn't there. Aurora walked around a bit and started to hear a loud commotion.

She walked to the center of the camp where there was a large gathering. Glade was surrounded by the rest of the clan as they cheered her on. Everyone in camp was focused on Glade as she was being praised as a hero.

Aurora walked up to Eclipse who was on the edge of the gathering. She tapped Eclipse on the shoulder. "Guess what I got?" Aurora said.

Eclipse was brushed up in the excitement and didn't pay much attention to what Aurora was saying. "Aurora you'll never guess what happened! Glade dueled the Vrykul champion and won! They've agreed to back off of our land for good! Never again will we have to battle them for territory. This is great!" She said turning her attention back to the crowd.

"But-" Aurora tried to say but couldn't as it was too loud for anyone to hear her. Not too far from her, Aurora saw her mate, Cyclone. She decided to go up to him to see if he was interested in hearing about her day.

"Hey!" Said Aurora with a smile as she tried to get her mate's attention. "You'll never guess what I've been through today." Aurora said as she held up a big bag of herbs.

Cyclone turned to face her. "Hey, sweetheart!" Cyclone said but he too was distracted by the crowd. "I misjudged Glade. I had my doubts about her at first but I think she finally has a place here." He said turning back to the center of camp.

Aurora started to frown as nobody wanted to hear from her. She had worked herself to the bone to retreive something her clan desperately needed but nobody seemed to care. She lowered her head and started to walk back alone to her den.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cyclone noticed his mate walking away by herself with her head down. He knew something was wrong and decided to go after her.

Once Aurora was back at the cave she sighed and started to walk towards her bed when Cyclone came in behind her.

"Hey what's wrong?" Said Cyclone trying to find out what was troubling her.

Aurora turned towards him. "My feet feel like they're on fire." She said, completely worn out from her long journey.

Cyclone started to walk towards her. "What happened? Where have you been?" He said wanting to comfort her.

"I'm fine, I just..." She said with a pause. "I just need some rest. I'll meet up with you in a little bit." Said Aurora as she turned back to walk toward her bed. She plopped down on her bed, laying on her belly with her legs and wings stretched out.

Cyclone felt sorry for her. He didn't know what to say since she wasn't saying much. He walked up to her slowly to look at her back legs. Normally the bottoms of a Dragon's feet were white but when Cyclone looked at the bottom of Aurora's feet, they were glowing a bright red from all the walking she did today.

Cyclone covered his mouth in shock as he stared at her feet. He looked up at her to see that she was trying to relax and cool off.

Her turned his head towards the cave's exit as he heard Tempest giving a speech but he decided to stay with Aurora. He sat down near the wall of the cave with his back up against the wall as he watched over her, still wondering about what she had been through today.

As Aurora tried to get some rest, Cyclone's eyes darted to a large bag that she had dropped on the floor before going to bed. He reached over to grab it and have a look inside. Much to his dismay, the bag was filled almost to the brim with herbs. Every once in awhile Cyclone used to help Eclipse out with her harvesting but he had never seen a load this big before.

For a moment Cyclone started to feel sad on the inside. Glade and Aurora were both heroes but only Glade was getting recognized. He started to understand why his mate was distraught. Nobody seemed to care about what Aurora did but deep down inside, he knew that she just as much of a hero now as she was when she was a warrior. Even with her broken wings, her pregnancy, and her thankless job, she was still a hero to her clan. She always was.


	30. Chapter 30: The Secret

Three days had passed since the truce between the Dragons and the Vrykul. The clan was already bustling about as everyone went about their business. Being a warrior in Tempest's clan nowadays was starting to become a very easy and sometimes boring job. Nithogg and his clan were no longer a threat and the Vrykul had agreed to keep off the dragon's territory. Most of the warriors, including Cyclone, were finding work around camp by helping out with chores and other activities.

It didn't take long to finish up all the work for the day. After assisting as many dragons as he could, Cyclone was taking a break and relaxing at the center of camp with his back up against a tree to provide him with some shade. Normally Cyclone was the earlier riser but lately Aurora had been waking up much earlier than him to get to work with Eclipse at her new job. Cyclone started to grow worried as he feared Aurora was working too hard. He didn't get to see her in the mornings as she was already hard at work and by the time she got home she was so exhausted that she could barely stay awake.

Suddenly another commotion started near the center of camp once again. When Cyclone perked up his head to see what was going on he saw that once again, Glade was the center of attention in the camp. He didn't even know what she did to deserve the attention she was getting a second time. He was planning to get up and see what she was up to this time but as he was doing so he saw Aurora storming into camp once again, visibly frustrated.

When Cyclone laid eyes on her, he saw that she had another full bag of herbs but she was a mess. She was soaking wet and covered in dirt and mud. It wasn't diffiuclt to tell that she had a bad day as she appeared irritated and tired at the same time as she made her way toward the waterfall to get a bath.

He turned his head toward the commotion to see people praising Glade once again and then turned back to see Aurora walking off alone by herself. Councilwoman Eclipse was sitting beside Cyclone, enjoying a conversation with him as she mixed various herbs together to make medicines. When she looked up she saw that Cyclone was distracted.

"Everything alright?" Said Eclipse as she lightly prodded Cyclone to get his attention.

Cyclone was distracted for a moment but turned his gaze toward her. "That's the thing. I'm doing just fine. I don't know if I can say the same thing about Aurora." He said with a disappointed tone of voice as he figured seeing Glade at the center of attention made Aurora feel even worse.

Eclipse nodded. "Aurora is a good girl with a good heart. Every time I ask her to do something, she goes above and beyond what I requested, tiring herself out in the process. I keep telling her she doesn't have to do it but she wants to. When it came to helping the clan, I never was able to get Aurora to take it easy, even when she was a little girl." She said.

"I'm going to go see her." Said Cyclone as he started getting up.

"Are you sure?" Eclipse said. "Don't you want to know what all the fuss is about first?" She inquired.

Cyclone shook his head. "Tell me later. I'll catch up with you soon." He said as he started heading for his cave.

Cyclone waited in his and Aurora's cave for her to come back from her bath. Some time later after he arrived, Aurora slowly started walking into the cave to head right for bed.

"Hey, Sweetheart." Said Cyclone with a gentle tone of voice as he tried to lighten up her day somehow.

"Hey." Said Aurora putting on the best smile she could for him but Cyclone could easily tell that she wasn't in the mood for conversation.

"Where have you been?" He said wondering what she was up to all day.

"Nowhere really... Just around." She said softly. "I'm sorry I just need a long nap so I can relax." She said with a clearly exhausted tone of voice.

He watched as she walked across the room and plopped down on their bed once again, laying on her belly with her legs and wings stretched out.

He didn't say anything back. He walked up toward her slowly near her back legs so he could inspect her feet.

As Cyclone inspected his mate's feet, he saw they were glowing red once again. He knew that she was traveling across the broken isles yet again looking for herbs. Something was wrong with her that she wasn't telling him and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Cyclone climbed into their nest with her and sat up straight as he looked down at her. "Aurora we need to talk." He said softly.

Aurora's face was buried into the soft leaf-covered bedding of their nest but as he started to speak she rolled over onto her side, facing him. "About what?" She said.

"You." He said. "You're working yourself to the bone every day from sunrise to sunset. You say that you've been 'Nowhere really' but your body tell a different story. Your feet are so red i'm surprised you can even stand. You can't keep this up." He insisted.

"Well not everyone has an easy job where they can just sit around all day." She said defensively.

Cyclone didn't respond back to her, leaving a moment of silence between them.

Aurora stopped for a moment and rubbed her face. "I'm sorry." She said sitting up partially. "I don't know where that came from...I... I didn't mean it. I'm just..." She said, hesitating. "I don't want to talk about it." She said looking away from him.

Cyclone extended a wing to touch her on the shoulder. "You need to talk about it. Aurora, I'm your mate. I'm not just some random guy who hangs out in your cave from time to time. I care about how you feel and if there is something troubling you then you need to talk to me about it."

She glanced back at him. "I'm trying to be strong. Life is difficult right now but I'm a fighter, I can handle it."

Cyclone nodded. "Just because you're a warrior at heart doesn't mean you don't have feelings. Nobody else is here, it's just you and me. Around other dragons I would say yes, you should stay strong and steady for the clan, but it's just us." He reasoned but she didn't respond.

"I see you storming into camp all dirty and frustrated. You have a lot on your mind and you need to get it off your chest. You keep your feelings bottled up inside of you and you need to let it go. I'm here for you and I'm not going to judge you." Cyclone said, hoping she would open up her feelings and emotions to him so he could help her.

Aurora knew he was right. It was difficult for her to stop being strong and steady but she knew that she had to. She couldn't hold it anymore. Her eyes started to slowly fill up with tears and her lip started quivering.

Cyclone noticed that she was starting to cry and quickly wrapped his wings around her. "That's it..." He said comfortingly. He pulled her into a loving hug until his chest was pressed up against hers and both of their heads rested on each others shoulders.

The tears in Aurora's eyes started to fall gently down her ruby cheeks and onto her mate's loving shoulder. Aurora opened up completely as she started to cry into his shoulder.

"Everything I do blows up in my face..." She said with a sniffle as she buried her face into his shoulder as he hugged her. "I saved you and now I can't fly anymore...I saved Ruby and I end up getting imprisoned for murder... I travel across the isles, working myself to the bone to gather medicine and nobody cares... I got pregnant and now i'm not allowed to fight or do anything except pick flowers..." She said as her tears kept falling down her face. "I'm just a shell of what I used to be..."

She and Cyclone pulled their heads back to look at each other in the eye. When Cyclone looked at her face, he could see how distraught she was. Tears were still coming down her flushed cheeks and she sniffled occasionally as her lip quivered when she talked.

"I'm a loser now...I used to be a hero to this clan, now nobody cares about me anymore..." She said with another sniffle.

"That's not true. This clan needs you. I need you." He said rubbing her shoulders gently. "It doesn't matter what everyone else says. You're still a hero to me. I love you with all my heart, mind, and soul. That's the only thing that matters. No matter how bad things get for you I know that it's all going to be okay as long as we have each other. We're a team... we're mates for life. What other people think about you isn't important. The only thing that is important is what I think about you, and I don't think you're a loser, I think you're a winner... a smart, wonderful, beautiful winner." He said with a smile.

Aurora looked up to him as a smile started to slowly bloom on her face. Her emotions were like a violent storm but he was the glowing sun that broke through the darkness and lit up the world. She moved her head forward quickly and kissed him very affectionately on the lips before pulling back. "

"You're the best, Cyclone." She said happily.

"I know." He said cockily which caused them both to chuckle.

Cyclone brought the tip of his claw up to her face to wipe away the last tear on her cheek. "Tell you what. I have an Idea." He said with a smile. "Lets snuggle together till we're all nice and cozy. You tell me about your day then I'll tell you about my day then we can start thinking of baby names. What do you say?" He said bringing his claw down from her face.

Aurora's face lit up with a radiant smile. "That sounds so perfect." She said happily.

She started to lay down on her side facing him as did he. Cyclone put one wing around her and they snuggled up real close to each other until they were nice and cozy. Once they were comfortable, Aurora started talking to him about all she had been through the past couple of days.

As the two of them swapped stories and giggled happily at each other, the seconds turned into minutes and minutes into hours until time itself seemed like a blur. When they were in each other's company, they never had to worried about being bored. The past few days weren't exactly easy on Aurora. She spent most of them alone and hard at work with hardly anyone recognizing her efforts but Cyclone always had a way of making her feel appreciated and loved. As they cuddled up close with their foreheads gently pressed together and their wings tenderly caressing each others bodies, the once ocean-blue sky and warm sun slowly turned into blackened night and shimmering moon. After realizing how much time had passed, Aurora remembered she was supposed to deliver her herbs to Eclipse.

"I like that name." Cyclone said with a warm smile. "Daisy. A pretty name for a pretty girl." He said as both of them were looking down at the little bump in Aurora's belly. After a while, he looked up into her eyes lovingly with a smile.

Aurora looked up and smiled back at him as she looked into his eyes aswell. They moved their heads towards each other to share a romantic kiss. The kiss didn't last too long as Aurora suddenly pulled away.

"Oh shoot." Aurora said.

Cyclone perked his head up. "Whats wrong?"

"I forgot the herbs. Eclipse said she wanted them today." She said.

Cyclone put his wings on her shoulders. "Awww come on... You can give them to her tomorrow. We're having so much fun." He said trying to convince her to stay.

"It will only take two minutes I promise." She said with her smile still intact.

He shrugged. "Alright. Two minutes. Your time starts now." He said jokingly.

"Oh my. I better get going then?" She said before gently brushing his wings off of her shoulders. She then grabbed her full satchel of herbs and quickly headed off to Eclipse's den.

The clan was a lot more quiet at night. The only sounds Aurora could hear were the crickets chirping and the grass crunching under her feet. Snuggling with her mate for so long also left her a bit warm and it was nice to feel the soft cool breeze of the midnight air. When she finally made her way to Eclipse's den, she knew Eclipse would be asleep and she didn't want to disturb her.

Aurora took a few steps inside of Eclipse's cave to set the herbs down and take her leave. Since she wasn't walking on grass at the moment, the only sound Aurora could hear were the crickets now but as Aurora was dropping the herbs off she heard something else coming from inside Eclipse's cave. It sounded like muffled breaths and claws clicking against the ground rapidly. Something wasn't right.

"Eclipse?" Aurora said but there was no response. She slowly started to walk deeper into the cave, trying to locate where the noise was coming from.

When Aurora finally reached the end of the cave, she let out a loud gasp and her jaw dropped as low as it could when she saw what was in front of her.

Highdragon Tempest was laying on top of Eclipse, both of their wings were wrapped around each other and they were locked in a very passionate kiss as their claws were lovingly interlocked. When the two of them heard Aurora gasp, they quickly looked up to her with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Oh no..." Eclipse said with a saddened tone of voice.

As Aurora stood shocked and stunned with her jaw still dropped, the satchel in her grasp fell to the floor, spilling the herbs on the ground as well as some sweet fruits that Aurora had picked for Eclipse as a thank-you present.


	31. Chapter 31: The Seasons Change

Aurora stormed out of Eclipse's cave, feeling justifiably betrayed. Many different emotions from anger to sadness buzzed about in Aurora's head as she tried to come to grips with what she had seen. Eclipse quickly chased after her, taking flight in order to catch up to Aurora who was marching home angrily. When Eclipse finally caught up to Aurora she tried to grab onto Aurora with her wings to stop her.

"Aurora wait... please." Eclipse insisted as she got her wings around Aurora.

Aurora quickly shook Eclipse's grasp off. "Don't touch me!" she said defensively.

Eclipse was desperate to get Aurora to stay. Deep down inside, she felt a sadness that was plunging into her heart like a jagged dagger as she began to suspect Aurora would never want to see her again. "Don't go, just let me explain!" She insisted still trying to restrain her.

Aurora brushed off Eclipse's grasp again only this time she turned around to meet Eclipse face to face. "I suffered day and night! I felt like my heart was being torn in half when I was forced to choose either the council or Cyclone. Every night I cried myself to sleep as my soul mate and I drifted farther and farther apart all because of the stupid rules of this clan! I came to you for advice! I trusted you!" She said pointed at Eclipse.

"All that time I spent telling you how miserable I was because I had to make my choice... you were getting everything you wanted. You didn't have to make a choice!" She said sternly. "You told me that I had to, but behind the scenes you knew that you had to make a choice as well but you kept it a secret!"

By this point Eclipse was almost in tears. There was no point in arguing with her as she knew that everything Aurora was saying was true. "I'm so sorry..." Eclipse said with a faltering voice, not knowing what to say.

"All the hoops I had to jump through to be with Cyclone! I lost my wings because of the choices I had to make." Continued Aurora as she turned her back towards Eclipse.

Eclipse didn't know what to say. She lowered her head to the ground in shame as she accepted the backlash she felt she deserved.

Aurora's emotions were like a raging storm. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel. For a brief moment she tried to see Eclipse's side of the story, but every time she did she couldn't help but remember that both she and Eclipse were in the same predicament, but she chose to do the right thing while Eclipse tried to keep it a secret.

"How long has it been going on?" Said Aurora as her tone of voice started to shift from anger to sadness.

Eclipse shrugged. "Off and on for the past few years. We tried breaking up many times but we kept coming back to each other." She said with her voice still faltering. She looked up to Aurora once again. "You're like a daughter to me, Aurora...I love you. I don't want to lose you... But if you never wish to see me again I would understand." She said lowering her head once more.

Aurora shook her head, trying to fight back the tears. She had cried enough for one night. "I... I just need to be alone for a while..." She said as she continued walking, leaving Eclipse sitting by herself in the dark.

For a moment Aurora paused and turned her head around one last time to see Eclipse. "That night when I came to you before I was captured by Nithogg...You told me that you fell in love with a dragon and debated starting a family with him." She said as she remembered the conversation they had long ago. "It was him wasn't it..." She said with a saddened frown still adorning her face.

Eclipse nodded slowly. "It was always him."

"Do you love him?" Aurora asked, still trying to keep herself together.

"Yes..." Eclipse answered as a lone crystal tear ran down her face, shimmering in the moonlight.

Despite the anger and sadness flowing through her, Aurora still bared some sympathy for her. How could she bare resentment towards the person who raised her and mentored her all of her life? Deep down inside she knew that love was a powerful emotion that often put one's moral guidelines to the test. She needed time to think it all over. She continued walking forward back to her cave and mate, leaving Eclipse alone in the center of camp.

When Aurora told her mate about everything that had happened, he shared the same reaction that Aurora had.

"My god..." Said Cyclone as he tried to wrap his mind around the whole situation. He sat down with his back up against the wall of the cave. "All this time..." He said, still shocked.

After a moment of silence, Aurora looked up to him and spoke. "This wonderful, beautiful, and perfect relationship that you and I have... It almost never happened because of the rule of forbidden love."

Cyclone let out a long drawn-out sigh. "If it was this easy to keep the forbidden love a secret, why didn't we?" He asked.

"Because it's not the right thing to do. Because we're good, honest dragons." She replied.

Cyclone shrugged. "So what do we now?" he asked.

Aurora shrugged aswell and she went to go sit beside him, shoulder-to-shoulder. "I don't know."

"Do you want something to happen to her?" Cyclone asked, wondering if Aurora desired Eclipse to be punished.

"That's the thing." Aurora said. "I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I know she loves her job and she loves Tempest. I don't want her to lose either one of them but at the same time I think it's unfair that we had to jump through hoops to be together while they can have it all at no cost."

Cyclone nodded as he listened to her.

"All my life since I was a little girl, I looked up to Eclipse. One of the things I admired most about her was her honesty... her integrity. I never saw or heard her lie even once. She was so pure... she had so much integrity that it inspired me to be just like her." Aurora said with a sigh as she looked down. "How many other things has she lied to me about but I just never found out?"

"Well now you're just speculating." He said.

"You're right." She said. "I'll just keep a secret for now. I'm not going to rat Eclipse out and ruin her life. If she is kicked off the council, it will be by her own accord...I'll have no part of this." She said, giving her final answer.

Cyclone smiled. "I can respect that." He said patting her on the shoulder. "Come on let's get some sleep. I know you have a busy day tomorrow. Just remember the promise you made me earlier." He insisted.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah i know... don't work overtime." She said following him back to bed so they could get some sleep. They both climbed into their bed and curled up close to each other for warmth.

Though sleep didn't come easy to them. There was a lot on both of their minds that kept them awake for a while.

The next day Cyclone was once again relaxing underneath a tree after all the work around camp was finished. Life as a warrior was definitely becoming boring as he had run out of things to do and it was almost sunset. When he looked around he couldn't help but notice Aurora returning to camp with herbs. He perked up happily and quickly followed after Aurora as she was heading toward their cave.

"Hey!" Cyclone said quickly tapping her on the shoulder.

Aurora turned around and smiled. "Hey sweetheart." She said as she appeared much less irritated than she did when she normally came home from scavenging.

Cyclone followed her until they were back inside of their own cave. "I'm happy to see you're still working as a medic." He said, impressed.

She shrugged. "What Eclipse did was wrong but she was right when she said we need more medics. If something happens to her the clan is going to need me. I'll just have to swallow my feelings and keep working with her."

"That's the spirit!" He said, happy to see that she wasn't being dragged down by what had happened. He quickly tried to change the subject. "You didn't work overtime today did you?"

Aurora chuckled and rolled her eyes once more. "No, I kept my promise. No overtime." She said playfully.

He perked a brow up inquisitively. "And if I lift your foot up will it be red underneath?" He said walking behind her as he doubted her.

Aurora shrugged. "Go ahead." She said with a smile as she stayed standing, sorting the herbs in her satchel.

Cyclone moved toward her back leg and lifted up her foot so he could see the bottom of it. "It's pink." He said, knowing she still was working overtime but not quite as much as usual.

"Oh come on." Aurora reasoned. "It's not red, that's all that matters. I was having a good day." She said as she balanced on three legs while he inspected her foot.

He rolled his eyes once more and let her foot go. "Well it's an improvement. You'll have to keep working on it." He said walking up to her front to see what she was up to.

She huffed. "What do I have to do to get you to stop worrying about me?" She said looking up from her herbs towards him.

"Oh my dear, I'm afraid I can't stop that... but I will leave you alone for a while so you can count your herbs... for a price." He added at the end.

"Oh?" She inquired.

"One kiss." He answered.

She nodded with a smirk on her face. "Deal." She said walking towards him happily. Showing affection to her mate was never a task she struggled with.

The two of them walked towards each other until their lips met in a kiss. Both of them reared up on their hind legs, standing up straight so they could wrap their wings around each other's bodies. After about ten seconds they parted lips and smiled at each other.

Unfortunately, their brief romantic moment was interrupted by a loud signal from outside the cave.

"Clan meeting! The Council wishes to address the clan!" One dragon shouted.

Aurora and Cyclone turned their heads towards the cave's exit as they were holding each other. They took their wings off of each other and came down on their front legs again.

"Council meeting? Wonder what this is all about." Cyclone said.

Aurora shrugged. "Let's go find out."

When everyone in the clan was gathered at the High Throne of the Council, all of the councilors and Highdragon Tempest were standing shoulder to shoulder as they stood atop the throne in front of the clan. Eclipse slowly stepped forward preparing to give a speech.

Tempest spread his wings, signalling the crowd to be silent. "Councilwoman Eclipse wishes to say a word." He said gesturing for her to take the floor.

"My fellow clanmates..." Eclipse said with a warm smile as she looked over the crowd. "Truly we have had a very active and successful year. Through the hard work and determination of all of you, we have made this camp safe and in so doing secured the futures of all generations to come. The Vrykul haven't set foot in our land since the agreement and Nithogg and his clan are nowhere to be found. After countless years of watching over our shoulders and preparing for attacks, I believe we have truly entered a new era of peace and harmony." She said with a smile as everyone in the crowd started to light up as well.

"With this peace we can all start over and have a chance to live a normal life, free from fear. I and the other councilors have worked so hard for so many years to bring us peace and to secure the safety and the future of our children, and it brings my heart much warmth to see us enter this new era of harmony. Because of this, it is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation from the council." Eclipse said.

Upon hearing her last sentence, Aurora perked her head up and her eyes widened. She didn't expect this to happen and almost immediately began to think that is was her fault Eclipse was resigning.

The rest of the clan appeared shocked aswell and they were all whispering amongst themselves after her announcement.

"I'm getting old." Eclipse said as she got their attention once more. "I've spent hundreds of years on this council, in fact I remember babysitting most of the people on this council when they were whelplings." She said with a chuckle. "I've worked tirelessly day and night to always fight for what is right and to make our camp a beacon of hope, truth, and justice... now it is up to these fine young councilors to carry on that legacy." She said gesturing toward the other councilors with her wing.

"I leave knowing that the council will be left in the hands of such honorable and noble dragons. I've worked with them and I've worked with all of you for so long, but now it's time for me to move on... to live the rest of my life in peace, quiet, and happiness. It has been an honor to serve as your counselor for all these years. I'll still be working in the infirmary until Aurora is ready to take my place as head medic, but for now, my time governing this clan has come to an end. I wish you all a very long, happy, and prosperous life. From the bottom of my heart I want to say one last time... Thank you. Thank you all." She finished.

The whole clan suddenly began cheering for her, clapping, and beating their wings. Eclipse smiled out at the crowd as they all cheered and thanked her for her service. She then began to depart with Tempest following right behind her. Once the two of them had stepped down and began heading back to their cave, they were quickly intercepted by Aurora and Cyclone.

"What have you done?" Aurora said, almost in tears as she felt responsible for Eclipse's depart from the council. Deep down, Aurora knew how much Eclipse loved her job, and the thought of her giving it up because of what Aurora said was almost too much for her to bear.

"The right thing." Said Eclipse with a smile as she tried to brighten Aurora's face up. "You were right, Aurora...about everything. I've lived my entire life on the council, afraid to fully commit to love and happiness." She said looking up toward Tempest who was also looking down upon her with a smile. "But I'm ready now." She said placing a wing on his chest before looking back to Aurora and Cyclone once more.

"You've opened my eyes, Aurora. I thank you for that. Don't feel guilty about my decision, I made the choice, not you. Don't beat yourself up." She said resuming her smile. "I've spent enough time on the council. It's time for me to try something else that will make me happy. I hope that you can forgive me for deceiving you all these years."

A smile started to bloom on Aurora's face. She suddenly rushed forward and wrapped Eclipse in a tight caring hug. At first, Eclipse was taken by surprise but she soon accepted Aurora's hug and placed her wings around her as well. Aurora's caring gesture touched her heart and almost made her cry. Things would be better between the two of them from now on she suspected.

Aurora pulled away from the hug to look into her eyes. "I forgive you, Eclipse." She said happily, trying to hold back tears. "I hope you find the happiness you're looking for."

Eclipse nodded. "Thank you so much Aurora." She said before looking up towards Tempest. "You ready?" She asked.

Tempest nodded as well. "Always." He said with his usual very deep and warm voice. "Thank you for everything, Aurora and Cyclone. May your family be blessed." He said before bowing his head.

Cyclone smiled aswell and went up to give Tempest a pat on the shoulder. "May you be blessed as well, my friend."

After giving their blessings, Aurora and Cyclone stood shoulder to shoulder once again and watched them leave together.

"Let's go." Eclipse said to Tempest with a smile. The two of them placed their wings around each other and started to walk off into the sunset, their scales glittering with majestic orange light until they finally disappeared from sight, off to start a new life together.


	32. Chapter 32: The Delivery (Part 1)

Just as Eclipse predicted, Tempest's clan did enter a new era of peace and harmony. The months started to fly by as everyone lived peacefully, free from the fear that previously loomed over their heads at the hands of Irglov and Nithogg. As everyone continued to live their lives happily, so too did Aurora and Cyclone. Now that the clan had no more need of such a large force of warriors, many of the warriors were placed into inactive status and reassigned to different jobs. Cyclone was now a hunter for the clan. His skill and prowess allowed him to easily climb through the ranks until he was second in command of the hunters, under his best friend, Thunder. Aurora continued to practice and master the trade of being a medic. During such peaceful times, Aurora was able to learn much more in a shorter amount of time until she was almost a master medic. As her skills started to grow and develop, so did the bump in her belly.

At the day's end, the sun was setting and Aurora and Cyclone were in their nest, cuddling. The two of them laid on their backs with their heads leaning against each other. They both looked down at the now-massive bump in Aurora's belly. Today was the day she was supposed to lay her eggs. Aurora was both excited and terrified at the same time as the laying would be a very difficult process. Cyclone could see the nervous fear in her eyes even though she tried her best to hide it.

"How are you feeling?" He said, having a general idea of how she felt but he wanted her to say it out loud to get it off of her chest.

Aurora shrugged as she continued to look at the bump in her belly. "I don't know. I'm so happy that I'm finally going to be a mother, but at the same time I'm scared... I know it's going to hurt and it's not going to be over quickly. I'll be laying the eggs for hours, in pain all the way." She said moving her head to look into his eyes. "You're staying with me, right?" She asked.

"Oh sweetheart, of course I am." He said tenderly interlocking his front claws with hers. "I'll be here with you every step of the way." He promised.

Aurora nodded happily before taking a very deep breath, preparing herself for the task ahead. They both waited anxiously for the time to come, trying to talk to each other to pass the time until the moment was here.

"So how much longer until you take over as head medic?" Cyclone asked as they were still killing time.

"Soon." She said. "I've learned to treat over a hundred different ailments. Eclipse says I only have a few more advanced techniques to learn until i'm officially a master." She said.

Cyclone smiled. "That's good!" He said happily.

"To tell you the truth, I was thinking about moving all the herbs and supplies from the regular-" She said but was quickly cut off by a jolt of pain. "OH!" Aurora groaned out in pain. She clenched her teeth and quickly placed her wings over her lower belly as she reeled in pain.

Cyclone quickly interlocked his claws with her again, holding on tight. "Aurora. Aurora!" He said trying to get her attention. "It's okay! I'm here. Just listen to me. You can do this." He said trying his best to encourage her. "Tell me you can do this!"

Aurora nodded as she was still struck with pain. "I can do this..." She grunted "Cyclone... It hurts so much..." She said with a slight whimper.

Cyclone quickly started to think of what to do. He had to distract her from the pain somehow. He quickly tried to bring up old memories with her to help her through the pain. As he talked, he gently rubbed her lower belly with his wings and held onto her tightly with his claws.

"Remember sneaking out to get more food?" He said, remembering a fun memory from their childhood.

Aurora was momentarily distracted from her pain and started to laugh. "I can't believe you still remember that. You were the one who got us into that mess, remember?"

The two of them started to relive the memory as if it was actually the present time. They were both less than a year old and were being babysitted by Eclipse. Aurora lived with Eclipse after her parents died but for one special week, Cyclone was being babysat by Eclipse aswell while his parents were out on an expedition. This was the first time that Cyclone and Aurora lived together, and since they were good friends, they were excited to be able to spend this time together.

"Now I want you two to promise me you'll stay put." Said Eclipse as she looked down towards the two infant dragons. "The council needs me just for a few minutes and I'll be back."

Aurora and Cyclone nodded. "We promise!" They both said at the same time.

Eclipse nodded. "If I find out you two are sneaking off there will be consequences." She warned. "But I don't think I have to worry about that." She said giving them both a kiss on the forehead before going to attend to her councillor duties.

After seeing Eclipse had finally disappeared from sight, Cyclone turned to Aurora. "Alright let's go!" He said grabbing onto Aurora, preparing to leave the cave.

Aurora quickly planted her feet in the ground, resisting his pull. Cyclone let go of her to turn his gaze back towards her.

"Didn't you listen to a word she said?" Said young Aurora. "If we get caught we're going to be in big trouble. You really want to get a spanking, dummy?" She said, always a stickler for the rules, even as a child.

Cyclone couldn't help but laugh. Most of the dragons their age were mischievous but Aurora was a rare exception. He figured she got it from Eclipse and was determined to help her snap out of it. "My gosh you're right! ...Well we better not get caught then right?" He said.

Aurora rolled her eyes. "Maybe you are a dummy." She insisted.

"Come on..." He said trying to encourage her. "You're still hungry aren't you? Our parents only feed us what 'A young dragon should eat' as they say." He said in a mocking tone. "I don't know about you but i'm still hungry, I think we could grab a bite from the meat pile while everyone is at the council meeting."

She sighed and licked down at the ground as she kicked a pebble around. "I don't know... I guess I am still pretty hungry." She said, feeling conflicted.

"That's what I'm talking about!" He said grabbing onto her again to lead the way. This time Aurora didn't resist.

Cyclone sneakily tiptoed about as he moved toward the unguarded meatpile. After seeing the coast was clear he quickly grabbed a mouthful of meat and tossed it back to her. "Quickly, as much as you can carry!" He said.

Aurora stood, holding the piece of meat in her little arms, still debating the morality of the situation. "I don't know about this... this feels wrong... I don't like stealing." She said, debating dropping the stolen meat.

He groaned. "Ugh...will you quit acting like you're one of the adults? Live a little! Enjoy being a kid while you still can!" He said as up until this point in his life, he had been a sneaky rulebreaker, but always covered up his tracks by acting cute and innocent.

She continued to debate the action in her heard but they didn't have that kind of time.

"Hurry!" Cyclone said as the council was almost finished. "We're running out of time!"

Aurora finally decided to take the piece of meat and run but right as they were making their escape they bumped right into Eclipse's belly and fell over onto their backs. It turns out, Eclipse had been following them the whole time, secretly watching them.

Eclipse looked down at the two of them and sighed before picking them both up in her wings, taking them back to the cave. "I didn't go to the council. You think i'd be irresponsible enough to leave you two alone?" She said as she had taken the day off from work to watch over them.

"I was testing to see if I could trust you. I expected this kind of mischief from Cyclone but not you, Aurora." She said looking down at Aurora with disappointment. "I was hoping you would drop the piece of meat." Eclipse said.

Once they were back in the cave, Eclipse laid them both on their bellies beside each other. Cyclone sighed, wondering how he could have fallen into the trap so easily. Aurora folded her front legs and grumbled to herself, wishing she had followed her instincts from the beginning as both of their tails were lifted up so they could be spanked.

As the memory they were reliving faded, the present day Aurora and Cyclone started to laugh. "I still remember not being able to sit for a whole day. Our butts were so red after that incident." Said Aurora with a slight giggle.

Cyclone chuckled out loud. "You were so lame as a kid." He said, lightly poking fun at her.

"I was lame?" She inquired. "Maybe you should have been lame too. We would have gotten in a lot less trouble." She said with a joking tone. "I wonder how a sneaky little weasel like you could grow up to be such a noble and honest dragon." She said, proud that he had matured so much over the years since they were young.

He shrugged with a smile. "Maybe I got it from you?" He said. When he looked down towards their lower bodies, he saw that Aurora had already laid two eggs while they were reliving memories.

"It's working!" Said Cyclone happily. "You're doing great, Aurora." He said happily, trying to think of more memories they could share.

Aurora groaned in a pain for a brief moment but quickly started to chuckle. "Oh I remember when you used to be so jealous of my magic." She said.

He scoffed. "Jealous? Me? Never." He insisted.

They both started to recall the event with more clarity. When they were about two years old, it was time for them to start practicing their magic and self defense skills. Aurora was born a prodigy. Even from a young age, Aurora's magic was legendary. She was leaps and bounds ahead of all the other dragons her age, though this started to stir up some jealousy in Cyclone's heart.

The young dragons were lined up to demonstrate their skill to the council as a test. It was Aurora's turn to showcase her skills.

Eclipse watched on happily as Aurora prepared her routine, feeling proud of her even before it started.

Aurora started moving her wings in a wave-like fashion as she started to gather energy. Her little wings glew with a bright blue light as she expertly demonstrated the proper footwork and generation techniques needed to produce lightning. She shifted her feet across the ground and did a slight spin, allowing the energy to course from her lower body starting at her feet all the way up to her upper body at her throat. Proper lightning generation was critical to learning and perfecting new spells.

After masterfully completing the generation technique, Aurora unleashed a blast of lightning from her throat that was highly impressive for a dragon her age. She started to do multiple complete spins, slicing her wings through the air to shoot horizontal beams of energy in all directions. After demonstrating her technique she jumped into the air and channeled all the lightning in her body into her front foot and then punched the earth on the way down, creating a decently sized shockwave around her. After finishing she then stood up, neat and proper, and bowed to the council.

"Perfect form." Highdragon Tempest remarked as he and the other councils applauded to her.

"Beautiful footwork and outstanding wing movement, Aurora." Said councilor Twister as he applauded her.

Aurora smiled happily at their praise and backed up, allowing Cyclone his turn to demonstrate his skill.

When Cyclone got up in front of the council he was nervous. He wanted to be every bit as good as his friend Aurora. He tried to copy her techniques, hoping to put on an even better show than she did. He started mimicking Aurora's footwork but quickly got tripped up and fell flat on his face. Before anyone could rush to pick him up he quickly got back up and started waving his wings around in circles to generate energy. His wing movements were clumsy. He wasn't generating hardly any electricity. He thought in his mind he had done a proper job and prepared to unleash his breath.

When Cyclone opened his mouth, he breathed out a tiny little spark that buzzed in the air a bit before fading. Cyclone shook his head, knowing he could do it. He tried once again to generate energy by moving his wings and legs around but he was doing it all wrong. His moves weren't even the least bit aerodynamic and mostly just fanned wind about with his wings. He leaped forward to unleash a breath of lightning but only managed to unleash a tiny little buzz.

He quickly lost his footing and fell over onto his face again, this time he face planted into a pool of wet mud. When he got up he saw that nobody was clapping for him and he had mud all over his face. He had made a fool out of himself in front of the clan and it made him sad. Everyone was waiting for him to try again but he couldn't help but start to cry. His little eyes filled up with a tears and he started to whimper as he was embarrassed. His mother quickly came by and scooped him up into her wings to cradle him like a baby. This only embarrassed him even more.

Young Aurora looked on, feeling sympathy for him but he didn't want her sympathy. He just wanted to be a powerful lightning-breathing dragon. It bugged him to see his friend pass him up so much. Embarrassment and shame were the only emotions he felt as he continued to cry. His mother started to carry him back home. After the incident, the other dragons in line watched at Cyclone's mother carried him away.

Back in the present time, adult Cyclone held up his wing. "Okay...I think you're misremembering all that. I did not cry." He protested.

Aurora giggled at him. "Yes you did! You started to cry after getting mud on your face and it was sooooo adorable!" She said happily as she continued to be distracted from her pain.

He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head as he started to feel a bit embarrassed again. He quickly tried to change the subject and think of something else, something less embarrassing. When he looked down at the nest he saw that she had laid five eggs now.

"Are you okay still?" Cyclone asked.

Aurora nodded. "It hurts very very badly but talking to you has definitely helped." She said, still holding onto him as their claws were interlocked. The two of them continued to swap stories as Aurora laid more eggs. She was halfway done and still going strong.


	33. Chapter 33: The Delivery (Part 2)

Aurora had laid a total of seven eggs so far and still had a few more to go. The pain was still striking her but she and Cyclone continued to talk to distract her from it. They discussed childhood memories over the course of the day, some of which were funny while others were more serious and emotion. Cyclone had one question buzzing around in his head that he wanted answered.

"Do you remember when exactly you realized you had a crush on me?" Cyclone asked as he was till laying on his side facing her. His claws were still interlocked with hers but since Aurora was in such pain, she was squeezing him tight which caused him some pain as well. He didn't let go regardless of her squeezing.

Aurora blushed a bit and felt jittery as she did in fact remember the moment. Even thinking about it sent a chill down her spine. "When you rescued me from the bullies when we were two years old."

Cyclone perked an eyebrow up. "Oh really? That's interesting, I never really pictured you as the one who needed rescuing back then."

Aurora shrugged. "I didn't have the stomach for it." She said. As a young dragon she was easily twice if not three times more powerful than the other dragons her age. She could easily destroy anyone who tried to mess with her but her gifted skillset and combat prowess was set back by her soft heart. Despite her power, she never had the heart to hurt anyone inside her clan.

In the memory, Aurora had just recently became two years old, still a young dragon. Being a magical prodigy wasn't the only thing she was famous for. Her integrity and honesty often ended up making enemies with some of the other dragons her age as she would always tell the truth and end up getting other people in trouble who had previously entrusted her to not rat them out.

One day Aurora was practicing her forms alone near the edges of camp. Eclipse taught her that peace of mind was an essential component to lightning generation. Eclipse encouraged Aurora to meditate often and to practice clearing her mind before practicing her magic. To an adult dragon, peace of mind was an easy thing to achieve, but to a young dragon like herself, it required much more discipline.

Aurora's eyes were closed and she was reared up on her hind legs, balancing as she kept her wings spread far apart. She took a deep breath and prepared to do her usual forms that allowed her to generate lightning. As she was clearing her mind while balancing, suddenly a giant ball of dirt struck her right in the face. The force from the thrown ball of compacted dirt was enough to knock young Aurora off of her feet and onto her back. She landed on her back with a loud thud as her face was covered in dirt. The impact was also enough to hurt her nose and give her a nosebleed.

As she remained lying down, three other young dragons, all males, started to surround her. "You tattled on our friend you jerk!" One shouted at her.

"Why can't you just keep your dumb mouth shut!" The second one yelled.

The third one spit on her. "You ruined our weekend, stupid!" he yelled. "You think you're so 'good' because you can tattle on others? Well you're not! It makes you a loser! Go hang out with your adult friends why don't you?" he continued.

Aurora didn't know what to do. She easily had enough power to take them all down with one swift stroke, but she couldn't possibly hurt someone from her own clan. Her nose hurt badly and she was being humiliated in front of all of them. Their harsh words hurt her feelings and made her feel sad. As they continued to berate and humiliate her, her eyes started to fill up with tears and she started to sniffle.

"Oh you gonna cry? You going to tell mommy on us? Oh that's right, you don't even have a mommy do you?" He said, mocking the fact that Aurora was an orphan which was a very heartless and cruel thing to mock someone for.

One single tear fell down Aurora's young little cheek as they bullied her. Before another tear could fall, Cyclone was coming up behind them and saw what was going on.

"Come on, leave her alone you guys." Cyclone insisted.

The leader of the three young dragons turned to face him. "Don't be lame, Cyclone. She tattled on our friend and got him grounded for a week!" He said.

"I don't care." Cyclone said. "I said let leave her alone."

The leader scoffed and his two friends joined him at his left and right sides. "Or what? You'll make me? You and what army?"

Cyclone looked down at the ground as if accepting defeat but it was a trick. He suddenly came up with a hard uppercut to the leader's jaw, causing him to fall back and curl up into a ball in pain.

"What are you standing around for!" The leader yelled. "Kick his butt!" He demanded.

The dragon on his left quickly tried to punch Cyclone in the face but before he could, Cyclone quickly grabbed the other dragon, twisted his arm, and used him as a shield. The dragon he grabbed took the punch to the face. Cyclone then kicked the one who through the punch in the stomach, causing him to reel over, winded.

Cyclone dropped the dragon he was holding and spun around, giving the last dragon a whack in the face with his tail. After the two of them were defeated, Cyclone roared at them, threatening to hurt them some more unless they ran. "Go!" Cyclone shouted. After he said that, the three young dragons quickly started to run away in different directions, all of them hurt and running to their mothers.

After they had left, Aurora started wiping her face off. When her vision was cleared, she looked up to see Cyclone standing over her with one leg stretched out towards her to help her up. "It's okay Aurora. They're gone." He said with a warm friendly smile as he tried to help her up.

As Aurora looked up at him to see him smiling down on her with an outstretched leg. The sun, which was right behind him, lit up his silhouette with a sparkling light, making him look like her very own guardian angel.

She smiled and felt a flutter in her chest as she nervously accepted his grasp and was helped back up onto her feet. Once she was standing in front of him, her heart started to race and she felt jittery just being close to him. He was a hero to her.

"Lets get you cleaned up." Cyclone said to her with a smile.

Back in the present time, Aurora was still feeling fluttered just thinking about the memory. "Why were you always so nice to me?" She asked.

"Because I cared about you." He answered. "I always have. I still do. Even though we're mates now, you're still the best friend I've ever had."

Aurora smiled. "Awww..." She said placing her wing on his cheek. Before she could say anything else she felt one more sharp pain in her belly and clenched her eyes for about ten seconds before relaxing with a painful sigh.

Once she was done, Cyclone looked down to see ten eggs total. When he looked at her belly, he saw that it was back to normal size again. "Aurora, I think you've done it. I think it's over. Do you feel any more pain?" He asked.

Aurora took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Her backside was still in a lot of pain from giving birth for so long but she no longer felt a stinging sensation inside of her anymore. When she placed her front feet over her belly, she didn't feel a lump anymore nor did she feel a sting. She took a sigh of relief and relaxed her head. "No more pain." She answered, laying her head down on the nest with her eyes closed.

"How do you feel?" Cyclone asked.

She took one more deep breath as she kept her eyes closed. "Tired. My lower body is still aching but i'm fine. I just need to take a nap." She said. "You staying?"

Cyclone knew he had duties to attend to, but she was more important to him than anything. Even though he wasn't tired, he would still cuddle with her to help her sleep better. The two of them cuddled up close to each other for warmth. It didn't take long for Aurora to fall asleep but Cyclone was still awake. For now he was just happy that everything turned out okay.

Just as quickly as the time came for Aurora to lay her eggs, so too did the time come for the eggs to hatch. Some time later, the day had finally come for the eggs to hatch. As they days went by, Aurora and Cyclone grew more and more anxious as they were ready to be parents.

One day, Aurora and Cyclone were sparring outside of their cave. Since Aurora was back to her normal self, she wanted to get back into shape. Even though she couldn't fly anymore, she wanted to be sharp and well-prepared incase she ever needed to defend her family.

Cyclone and her were swiping at each other, not in a manner to cause injury, just as practice. They were both still sharp as ever, and were able to deflect each others attacks. When Cyclone went to go for his signature tail sweep, Aurora was prepared. The managed to time her movements right and was able to catch his tail mid-flight. After grabbing onto his tail she quickly yanked it up into the air, causing Cyclone to be swept off of his feet and to fall onto his belly. Cyclone quickly rolled onto his back, facing her, but didn't have enough time to fully get back up. After he rolled over onto his back, Aurora leaped forward to grab onto his neck with her front foot, pinning him to the floor.

Cyclone chuckled as she grabbed him by the neck and kept him pinned. "Not bad... For a flightless dragon that is." He teased. Though after saying that, she tightened her grasp on his neck, gripping her toes around his throat.

"Let me guess, the sun was in your eyes this time?" She said with an amused tone of voice as she looked down at him. After having been weak and defenseless and not being able to do anything physical for such a long time, it felt oddly satisfying to defeat him and have him pinned under her foot.

Cyclone shrugged. "Something like that." He said, also amused. "I suppose now isn't the time for me to be teasing you, I assume?"

She rubbed her chin with the tip of her wing. "Perhaps not. If I wanted I could squeeze your throat just a little bit tighter and knock you out..." She threatened but with a joking tone.

He nodded. "You could do that." He said with a smile. "Or instead, we could go grab something to eat and take a bath before the eggs hatch?"

"Option 'B' sounds better." She said as she let his throat go and offered to help him up. "Don't worry, there will always be time later for a rematch."

He smirked. "Oh I'm counting on it. This isn't over yet, my dear." He jested.

After they ate and got all cleaned up, they joined Councilwoman Eclipse back at their cave, who was also there to see the eggs hatch. "You guys ready? It could happen any second now." Eclipse said.

"As ready as ever." Aurora said.

"You know it!" Cyclone said.

The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder and waited patiently for the first egg to begin hatching. Already they were getting jittery with excitement as the moment was finally here. They all had smiles on their face as the first hour passed by.

"What's taking so long?" Aurora asked, looking to her mentor.

Eclipse shrugged. "Sometimes they come a little bit late. It happens. Just give it time." She said.

The three of them waited patiently for another hour. Before they knew it, another hour passed by and then another. Each hour seemed like an eternity for Aurora and Cyclone. Before long it was starting to get dark around camp. The three of them once had bright smiles on their face, but it quickly turned to confusion and worry.

"Something's not right..." Eclipse said, walking up to one of the eggs.

"W...what...what do you mean?" Aurora said, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"What do you mean something isn't right. What is it?" Cyclone said, feeling the same sense of worry.

Eclipse put her ear up to one of the eggs for a for moments before moving back. She quickly moved to the next egg to inspect it and then onto the third one. By the time she had inspected the fourth one, she started to step back and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god..." Eclipse said softly.

"What?!" Said both Aurora and Cyclone at the same time as they got closer to Eclipse, demanding answers.

Eclipse looked towards both of them with one wing covering her mouth in shock. It took her a few moments before she could say anything. "I'm so sorry..." She said with a faltering voice.

Both Aurora and Cyclone felt a cold chill run up both of their spines as a deep sense of sorrow started to wash over them.

"No..." Aurora said, finally figuring out what was going on. "No..." Aurora whimpered again out loud as her eyes started to fill up with tears.

Cyclone couldn't hold it back either. He knew what was going on. He started to cry as well but did his best to hold it back. "There isn't anything you can do?" Cyclone asked to Eclipse desperately.

A lone tear fell down Eclipse's face as she looked up to Cyclone. She hated telling people bad news. "I'm afraid not... I'm so sorry...both of you." Eclipse said, giving them one pat on the shoulder. "I'll leave you two alone for a while..." She said quietly before exiting the cave with her head down.

After Eclipse had left, Aurora broke down into a hysterical crying fit. Cyclone too was crying even though he tried his best not to. The two of them turned towards each other and buried their faces into each other's shoulders as they hugged.

He couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Cyclone started to weep alongside his mate, both of their tears dripping off of their cheeks and onto the cold cave floor. The two of them were devastated and heartbroken over what had happened. The thought of being parents had been on their minds for many many months now. To have such excitement, joy, and anticipation be followed by such a heart wrenching tragedy was too much to bear for even the most steadfast of dragons.

For the next hour, the two of them stayed embraced in a hug as they mourned the loss of their children. They were both silent apart from the occasional sniffle. It started to get dark in their cave as the light from outside slowly started to fade. The two of them squeezed each other tighter as they tried to come to grips with the situation.

They both started heading toward the nest to go to sleep, still sniffling and wiping tears from their eyes occasionally. After they laid down and curled up together for warmth and comfort, they both heard a sound coming from behind them. When they perked their heads up, one of the eggs was starting to wobble a bit.

The two of them quickly jumped to their feet as fast as they possibly could and made their way toward the lone egg. They moved their heads in closer until their noses were about an inch away from the egg. Much to their surprise and delight, the egg started to crack a bit near the top.

"Oh my god..." Aurora said as she felt a small glimmer of hope starting to form in the bottom of her heart.

The brittle shell of the egg started to crack and crumble piece by piece until a tiny little head started to poke out from the eggshell, its head covered by a fragment of the shell.

Cyclone took the tip of his claw to remove the shell fragment from the little head. When the piece was removed, the two of them laid eyes on their child for the very first time. Both of their hearts started racing as fast as possible as they started to have hope that their family could still survive. Their overwhelming sense of despair and sorrow was suddenly overshadowed by a glimmer of hope that started to grow brighter and brighter. They helped break the baby dragon free from the egg until Aurora slowly and gently picked it up and held it in her wings.

New tears started to form in Aurora and Cyclone's eyes... no longer tears of sadness but ones of joy.

Aurora smiled and wiped the tears from her eye. "It's a girl..." She said softly with a warm smile.

"She's so beautiful, Aurora..." Cyclone said through his own tears as he lifted a claw to gently touch his daughter's cheek for the very first time.

"Daisy..." Aurora said happily as she had remembered the name Cyclone had suggested for a girl dragon many months ago. "Little Daisy..." She said with a big warm smile as she gently rocked her daughter back and forth. After a while of holding her, she gently moved Daisy towards her father so he could hold her for the first time.

When Cyclone held his daughter in his wings, words couldn't describe how he was feeling right now. He was still crying tears of joy that at least one of their eggs had hatched. "Our little girl..." He said with a huff as it felt weird holding her. He had held baby dragons before, but this was different. Holding a child that was his own was a very special feeling.

Daisy slowly opened her eyes for the first time to look around at her parents. She could only make little cooing and yawning sounds at the moment. She gently kicked her little feet and moved her wings slightly as she took in the very first sights of her life. After looking around at her surroundings, Daisy looked back up toward her parents one more time and let out an adorable little coo as she smiled happily at them.

Daisy's smile practically melted Aurora and Cyclone's hearts as they were overwhelmed at how adorable she was.

They all quickly moved in together for their first family hug.

"You're our daughter, Daisy... We're going to love you forever and give you the best life that we can...I swear it." Said Aurora as she vowed to protect her beloved child from all harm. The thought of losing the other nine eggs weighed heavily on her and Cyclone's minds, but for now, just having Daisy was a blessing that she cherished in her heart.

The two of them happily nuzzled their daughter affectionately as Daisy nuzzled her parents back with a content smile on her little face.


	34. Chapter 34: Parenthood

The next day, Aurora and Cyclone were up early in the morning, watching their daughter happily kick her little feet and beat her tiny wings with a youthful energy as she was being held in her mother's grasp. The two new parents showered their daughter with adoration and affection as they enjoyed the peaceful morning together. As much as they wanted to stay and play with Daisy all day, the two of them had responsibilities to attend to. It was Cyclone's turn to lead the hunters while Aurora was to spend the day in the infirmary waiting for patients.

"I wish I didn't have to go." Said Cyclone as he gently caressed his daughter's cheek with the tip of his claw.

"I know." Said Aurora. "We'll have more time tonight after work is over." She continued.

"You taking her with you today?" He inquired.

She nodded. "I'm cooped up in the infirmary all day by myself. I'm sure I can find a nice place for her to lay down and rest while I keep an eye on her and attend to the wounded." She said.

He nodded back to her. "Best of luck to you." He said before moving in to give her a soft kiss on the lips. He then turned to give Daisy a kiss on the forehead. After bidding his family farewell, Cyclone was on his way to go hunt.

At the infirmary, Aurora found a nice little nest to set Daisy down in so she could get to work.

"There we go..." Said Aurora as she gently set her down. Much to Aurora's surprise, as soon as she set her daughter down, Daisy started whimpering as if she was about to start crying. Aurora quickly picked her back up and tried to calm her.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Aurora said as she rocked Daisy back and forth in her front legs. After successfully calming her down, she set Daisy back down in the nest. As soon as Daisy was set down she started to whimper again for her mother.

Aurora sighed and picked her back up, trying to calm her again. "You really like to be held don't you?" She said as she tried to think of a way to do her work and keep Daisy under control at the same time.

Aurora held Daisy close to her chest with one front leg, while she used her other to start mixing and mashing herbs. Unsurprisingly, Aurora started spilling and knocking over everything clumsily as she tried to do everything with only one foot. She started to get frustrated as she knew that she had to get fresh medicines ready for the day to start, but luckily she was able to catch a break. When next she looked down at Daisy, she saw that she was drifting off into a nap.

She smiled happily and gave her daughter a loving kiss on the forehead before gently setting her back down in the nest. Thankfully, Daisy didn't wake up and stayed nice and quiet inside of the little nest. Once her daughter was safe and secure, Aurora picked up her things and started to get to work before the injured started coming in.

Some time later, Aurora was patching up a young warrior who had cut his left wing during a spar. Aurora knew exactly what to do, and applied the right medicines to stop infection before patching him up.

"Just to be safe, I would avoid flying for at least two days so you can heal up." She said as she finished patching him up.

He seemed irritated by the news she gave. "Two days? Two whole days without flight?" He said.

Aurora huffed. "You'll live." She said before patting him on the shoulder and sending him off with some additional herbs to stop the pain.

When she went back to work mixing medicines, she huffed to herself and starting shaking her head. "Two days without flight...What a nightmare." Aurora said with a scoff as she started mixing various medicines. It had ben almost a year since Aurora's last flight and not a day went by where she didn't miss it. As she started to think about it more, she began to wonder if she would ever be able to teach Daisy how to fly. What would her daughter think when she found out her mother was a flightless dragon? Before she could think further, a hunter entered her cave with a limp in his step.

Aurora looked down at his limp before looking back up to his face. "How can I help you?" She said with a smile and a lowered voice as to not wake her sleeping baby.

The hunter looked down at his legs. "Stepped on some jagged rocks while hunting in the mountains. Cut my foot up pretty badly." He said.

"Don't you worry I'll have you fixed up in no time." She said, gesturing for him to lay down in front of her.

After getting the appropriate medicines, she stretched out his leg and inspected the wound on his foot. Before she could start working on him, she suddenly heard loud crying coming from behind her. She perked her head up to see Daisy was awake again and was crying for her mother.

Aurora turned to her patient. "I'm so sorry can you give me one second? She said before getting up.

He shrugged. "No problem."

Aurora scooped up her daughter and started to cradle her gently while trying to calm her. "Shhh... it's okay..." She said trying to wipe her daughter's tears away. "I'm here sweetie." She said as she got her face real close to Daisy, trying to calm her down so she could get back to work.

Daisy wasn't calming down and it was starting to stress Aurora out as the hunter behind her still had a bleeding injury that needed tending to. Having two things that needed immediate attention both at the same time was enough to stress anybody out. As Aurora tried desperately to get her daughter to calm down, the hunter continued to bleed as he waited to be taken care of. Suddenly Aurora heard a voice coming from the entrance of the cave.

"Need a hand?" Said Eclipse as she was checking in at the infirmary. Eclipse had retired from working in the infirmary and was now living out the rest of her days in peace, but she never minded giving Aurora a spare hand every now and then.

"Oh yes please!" Aurora said as she was still holding her crying daughter.

Eclipse walked into the cave, grabbed the herbs Aurora had prepared, and started to work on the injured hunter's foot.

With Eclipse taking care of the patient, Aurora turned her focus on getting her daughter to calm down. Aurora laid down on her side and wrapped Daisy in her legs and wings so she would be safe and comfortable. It took about ten minutes but Aurora was finally able to get her to calm down. By the time she was done, she was starting to get a headache.

Eclipse finished patching up the hunter and sent him on his way. After finishing up, Eclipse turned towards Aurora to see her former apprentice appearing irritated and stressed out. "Having trouble?" Eclipse asked as she sat down in front of Aurora with her wings folded in front of her.

Aurora nodded as Daisy was finally silent again. "Every time I set her down she starts crying. I have to hold her every second of the day or else she goes off again." Aurora said.

Eclipse chuckled. "She gets it from you. I remember your parents had the same problem back when you were a newborn."

"Got any advice for me?" Aurora asked hopefully.

"Try giving her a root." Eclipse said.

Aurora perked her eyebrow up. "A root? What for?"

"Baby dragons love roots! They can suck and chew on them. It will give her something to do and keep her distracted so she won't be crying for you all the time." Eclipse said.

Aurora reached over towards her supplies and picked up a small tree root and gave it to her daughter. Daisy immediately grabbed a hold of it and started chewing on it happily. Aurora picked Daisy up and set her back down in the nest. To her surprise, Daisy wasn't crying even after being set down.

Aurora watched her daughter with a shocked look on her face. "It really works... I can't believe it." She said before looking back towards Eclipse. "Thank you so much, Eclipse. I owe you one."

Eclipse shook her head and smiled. "You owe me nothing. I'm happy to help." She said.

Once her daughter was peaceful again, Aurora started mixing more medicines. "Well I appreciate it nonetheless. How's retirement?" She asked.

"Oh its good. Tempest is still leading the clan, which takes up most of his time. But these past few months have been the best I can ever remember." Eclipse said happily.

Aurora nodded. "Well I'm happy for you." She said sincerely as she continued to work. When she looked up again she saw Eclipse mixing herbs as well. "Oh you don't have to do that." Aurora insisted.

"I know I don't. I want to. I see you're a little behind today so i'm happy to lend some help." Eclipse said.

Aurora shrugged. "If thats what you want." She said. After a while, Aurora bit her a lip a moment before perking her head up again. "Do you have any more tips for me? To help with Daisy?" She asked.

Eclipse nodded. "Of course. Anything you want to know, you can ask me."

Aurora smiled. She was happy to have someone like Eclipse in her life. Eclipse had always helped her through every stage of life. The two of them talked for hours about tips on how to raise a baby properly while dealing with several patients in between.

As the hours passed away, it soon came time to close up the infirmary as the hunters and warriors were all starting to head home now. Cyclone couldn't wait to come home and see his mate and daughter. The thought of reuniting with them was buzzing around inside of his head all day long.

When Daisy perked her little head up to see her father coming home, she lit up with joy and started smiling happily while flapping her wings.

Cyclone quickly met up with the two of them outside of their cave and gave them both a very tight loving hug.

"Hey buttercup!" Said Cyclone to Daisy as Aurora handed their daughter over to him. Cyclone fell over onto his back and let Daisy crawl around on his stomach. He laughed as Daisy started making cute little roars and started stomping around on his chest in a playful manner.

The two of them played happily as Aurora sat and watched. Aurora's heart filled up with joy as she watched the two of them interact. Deep down she knew that Cyclone was going to be as good of a father as he was a mate. She had so much respect for him as she watched him play with Daisy and shower her with affection. Most male dragons were recluses, and usually didn't have much to do with their children but Cyclone was different. He was as good of a dragon as anyone could possibly hope.

As Cyclone laughed with a warm smile, he looked up to his mate. "Come on, play with us!" He said.

Aurora couldn't resist. She got down on the ground with the two of them and started to play. Cyclone was pretending to be a big bad monster but Daisy wasn't afraid of anything. She teamed up with her mother and the two of them were able to take Cyclone down until he was playing dead. Daisy started to wonder if her father was really dead. She started slowly inching up towards his face to check on him. Just as Daisy was about to reach his face, Cyclone quickly perked up and said. "Boo!" In her face.

Daisy quickly jumped back in surprise but after realizing that her father was messing with her she laughed and jumped on his face, grabbing onto his nose.

"Oh no that tickles! Aurora save me!" Cyclone said.

Aurora giggled and gently pulled Daisy off of Cyclone's snout.

The feeling of Daisy's wings on Cyclone's nose tickled his nose and caused Cyclone to let out a loud sneeze which made Daisy laugh. She had such an adorable laugh that it made Aurora and Cyclone light up with joy.

The three of them played for as long as they could, enjoying every second. Soon, Cyclone looked up to see a storm brewing in the sky. "We should probably head back inside." He said.

"I don't think she'll have a problem with that." Aurora said with a chuckle as Daisy appeared exhausted and was about to fall asleep on the grass.

Aurora picked up her exhausted daughter and the three of them went back to the cave together. It wasn't difficult to get Daisy to lay down and go to sleep since she was so tired already.

Daisy had her own little nest already made by her parents. It was smaller than theirs for obvious reasons and sat a few feet away from their own large nest. Once Daisy was set down she curled up into a ball and started sleeping softly. Aurora and Cyclone took turns giving her kisses on her little forehead before heading to bed themselves.

After a long day at work, the two of them were pretty tired as well but they had a bit of energy left in them.

"I love you both so much. I've never been this happy before." Cyclone said as he started to wrap his wings around her.

"And it's only going to get better from here." Aurora said happily as he started to embrace her.

After many hours of working, it felt good to be in each other's company. The two of them stared at each other for a long while, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Though as they did so, a romantic spark started to ignite between them as they started thinking the same thought. It had been many many months since they last had sex and the two of them wanted desperately to be intimate once more, not for the sake of having more children, but just for romantic pleasure. They both bit their lips and smiled at each other as they started feeling excited.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Asked Cyclone excitedly.

"You feeling up to it?" Aurora asked, also excitedly.

"Oh yea." Cycloned said he pulled her in closely. The two of them started to get goosebumps at the thought of being sexually active once again.

Aurora slowly fell over onto her back as Cyclone fell on top of her. The two of them locked in a passionate kiss as they got ready. Aurora shitted her back legs apart slightly, allowing him access to her hips.

Right before they got started, a bright flash of lightning came from outside followed by a very loud crash of thunder. The loud thunderous boom from the incoming thunderstorm woke Daisy up from her slumber and caused to her to cry out for her parents in fear.

Aurora and Cyclone both sighed as they pulled away from the kiss, feeling disappointed.

"I'll get her." Aurora said as she slowly inched her way out from underneath her mate. She then walked over to pick up Daisy, who was fussing and crying as the thunderstorm was now passing over their cave. She picked up her daughter and tried to calm her down by gently rocking her back and forth. Another crackle of thunder sounded off, frightening Daisy once again who was still scared.

"Shh...don't cry sweetie." Aurora said, hoping desperately that her daughter wouldn't be awake all night long. She tried using the root that Eclipse had suggested she use early and held it up to Daisy's mouth. Unfortunately Daisy didn't want it and batted it away with her wings.

After a few minutes, the thunderstorm had passed and Daisy was still crying. By this time, Cyclone got up out of the nest and offered to take their daughter so Aurora could have a break. He tried his best to get her to calm down but she seemed determined to throw a fit no matter who was holding her.

"Is she hungry?" Cyclone asked as he laid down on his side and held his daughter close to his chest with his wings.

"I can check." Aurora said, taking a tiny piece of leftover meat from dinner. Daisy's little teeth weren't strong enough yet to chew on her own so Aurora put the piece of meat in her mouth and chewed it up a bit so it would be softer and easier for a baby to eat. She then brought her head close to Daisy and offered her the piece of meat that she had at the tip of her teeth.

Much to Aurora and Cyclone's disappointment, she didn't want the food either. She just continued to cry and fuss even though there was no more thunder or lightning. The two new parents had no idea what to do to calm her down.

"Come on please darling...no more crying." Cyclone said as he tried his best to comfort his daughter.

"She'll stop eventually." Aurora said hopefully.

For the next hour, Aurora and Cyclone took turns holding her so the other could relax for a bit, but by now, both of them were starting to get a headache from Daisy's ceaseless fussing.

"I don't know what she wants!" Said Aurora as she was getting frustrated and desperate to get Daisy to calm down. By this time, Aurora and Cyclone were no longer thinking about being intimate, they just wanted to get some sleep, but even that seemed impossible.

The two of them sighed once again and looked at each other for a moment. They were both exhausted and wanted desperately to sleep as they had jobs to get to in the morning. They closed their eyes and sighed, getting more and more frustrated and tired as the minutes flew by. Ceaseless crying continued to echo throughout their cave as Aurora and Cyclone started to realize that parenthood wouldn't be as easy at they thought.


	35. Chapter 35: Renewed Intimacy

The next morning Aurora and Cyclone were so exhausted they could barely keep their eyes open. Daisy was crying all throughout the night and by the time they were able to get her to lay back down, they barely had enough time to sleep. They both managed to groggily and slowly make their way to their jobs. Aurora once again took Daisy with her to the infirmary and set her down in the same little nest as before. Once Aurora was settled inside of her cave, she collapsed on the ground and curled up into a ball, trying to get as much sleep as she could before the first wounded dragon came by her cave.

Cyclone was with the hunters, listening to the directions of his friend Thunder as best he could but he could hardly pay attention being as tired as he was.

"Do you understand, Cyclone?" Thunder said.

Cyclone looked up and shook his head slightly to wake himself up. "Huh? Yea I understand." He lied.

Thunder perked a brow. "Really? What did I just say?" He asked.

Cyclone shrugged. "Something about deer?" He guessed.

Thunder shook his head. "No. I want you to go hunt some rams. Alright? Try to bring back at least three, preferably more." He said.

Cyclone nodded and quickly turned away to get to work. He didn't have enough energy to fly so he just slogged along on foot as he made he way to the distant reaches of Stormheim. As he was on his way he couldn't help but resist the temptation to catch up on sleep. He looked around, checking to make sure he was alone. After checking the place out, Cyclone curled up into a ball underneath a tree and tried to catch up on sleep.

Back at the infirmary, Aurora had just managed to finally get to sleep. She had her eyes closed for about ten seconds before someone came knocking. Aurora clenched her talons as tight as she could in frustration. "Seriously?! Not even an hour into the day and somebody is hurt? For crying out loud!" Aurora thought to herself inside of her head. She quickly tried to put on a friendly face for the guest.

"How can I help?" Aurora said with a smile as she perked her head up. She seemed somewhat relieved to see it was her old friend Glade. "Ah, hello!" She said.

"Morning, Aurora." Glade said as she looked down to her leg, wanting to get business out of the way first. "Got cut during my routine morning spar." She said, looking down at her front leg.

"You spar at the break of dawn?" Aurora said in disbelief as she prepared the necessary herbs to treat the bleeding and infection.

Glade shrugged. "Old habits die hard I suppose. That was how we were raised back in Nithogg's camp." She said as she watched Aurora tend to her bleeding front leg.

"Aurora, it's been forever since you've gotten together with the other girls. Whatever happened to the days where we all socialized out in the valley?" Glade asked.

"Well." Aurora said as she was patching Glade's leg up. "I don't know if you've noticed but I'm a little short staffed around here. We have so many clumsy hunters and warriors in this clan that I can hardly afford a break during the day. Also I have a daughter to take care of."

"Why not drop her off at the nursery?" Glade asked.

Aurora shook her head. "The nursery is for parents who have like ten or more children. Too many to keep track of during the day. I can handle one little girl by myself."

"Why don't you hire some assistants?" Glade asked.

"Assistants?" Aurora said.

Glade nodded. "Its ridiculous that one dragon has to run this entire infirmary by themselves. We have plenty of dragons in this clan who are sitting on their butts doing nothing all day. If you want I can try and send some people your way?" Glade asked.

Aurora never thought about it before. Now that Glade mentioned it, it did seem rather odd for only one dragon to be attending the Infirmary, especially when she was juggling being a mother at the same time.

"Come on, you aren't fooling anybody, Aurora. I can see your eyes halfway open. When I walked in you were curled up into a ball trying to sleep. What's the problem? Baby up all night?" Glade asked.

"Oh you don't know the half of it." Aurora said, not wanting to even think about last night.

"Mind if I see her?" Glade asked.

Aurora shrugged. "Sure."

Glade walked over to the nest to see Aurora's baby. Just looking at Daisy's cute face as the little dragon slept made Glade feel happy on the inside. "She's so cute!" She said trying to keep her voice down.

"If you wake her, I will kill you." Aurora joked.

"Understood." Glade said, looking at the child for a few moments longer before walking back up to Aurora. "So what do you think? Should I send some assistants your way?"

"Not right now. I really REALLY want to get some sleep." Aurora said, hoping to be left alone for at least half an hour.

Glade nodded. "You got it. Maybe later then." She said exiting the cave. "Sweet dreams." She joked one last time.

Back in the valley, Cyclone was sound asleep. By now he had rolled over onto his back, laying in a comfortable position as he caught up on his sleep. Before long, Thunder came along poking his friend with a claw to wake him up.

Cyclone quickly flailed about for a moment before rising up to stand, backing away from Thunder.

"Really?" Thunder said with a frustrated tone of voice.

Cyclone sighed. "Sorry. My Daughter was up all night long and I barely got any sleep... I'll get back to work." He said going to turn around.

Thunder placed a wing on Cyclone's shoulder. "Look, I understand what you're going through. I'll try to cut you some slack today so you can get some rest. Just get one ram and call it a day, alright?" He asked.

Cyclone smiled happily. "I appreciate the gesture but I'm no slacker. I'll get you those three rams as promised." He said.

Thunder seemed impressed by Cyclone's pride in his work. "That would be very admirable of you." He said.

Back at camp, Glade had explained the situation at the infirmary to Eclipse. Until the day Aurora had her assistants fully trained, Eclipse happily agreed to take a shift for Aurora at the Infirmary, giving Aurora a chance to spend time with her family and to rest. As a favor, both Eclipse and Glade offered to babysit Daisy while Aurora was on her breaks.

In the evening, both Cyclone and Aurora had some time off together. They met up at the center of camp, happy to see each other. But deep down, there was a feeling between the two of them that started to get more and more intense as the days went on. There was sexual tension growing between the two of them. Every time they tried to be alone, something popped up or distracted them from being together. They quickly agreed to go back to their cave and relieve the tension, but as they were on there way, Glade stopped Aurora and Cyclone for a moment.

"Where are you guys going?" Glade asked.

"Nowhere why?" Aurora asked, trying to divert suspicion.

"Eclipse needs you back at that infirmary." Glade said.

Aurora sighed. Deep down inside she was rolling her eyes as she couldn't believe she was distracted once again. "Why? I thought it was her shift?"

Glade nodded. "It is, she's just swamped right now and needs some help. I'm keeping an eye on Daisy." She said. "Please come quickly." Glade insisted.

For a moment Aurora looked back towards Cyclone, feeling disappointed that they kept being constantly pulled away. They sadly parted ways once again, both of them feeling sexually frustrated afterwards.

Aurora kept her head to the ground until she arrived at the Infirmary. When she arrived, there were at least fifteen to twenty patients crowding the infirmary. She had never seen this many injured before since the Battle of Stormheim.

"Oh my god! What the hell happened?" Aurora said wondering how so many injured dragons could show up at once like this.

"A fight broke out in the warrior's den. Quickly turned into a brawl." Eclipse said as she was working an injured dragon's tail. "Rest assured, once everyone is all patched up, there will be punishments. That means all of you." She said looking around at all the injured.

Aurora sighed, already gathering that this whole mess would take hours to sort out.

Cyclone was grabbing something to eat from the food stash. He decided to take the ram that he had hunted earlier in the day. After taking the meal back to his cave to finish he couldn't help but think about Aurora. She was the only thing on his mind right now. The two of them desperately craved intimacy, so much so that other simpler desires such as eating, sleeping, or socialization seemed to take a back seat.

By the time Aurora was finished and heading back home, the two of them were getting antsy. Glade had agreed to watch Daisy till the late evening. Aurora and Cyclone only had about an hour left of alone time before resuming their parental duties.

Almost as if on queue, a warrior started flying around camp signalling for a clan meeting. "Clan meeting! Tempest wishes to address the clan now!" He yelled out to everyone to get the whole clan to gather around.

To Aurora and Cyclone, it almost felt like the universe was trying its hardest to interrupt their lives. Nevertheless, they got over their disappointment and attended the meeting. Aurora went straight to the meeting from the infirmary, though she didn't see Cyclone around anywhere. Once everyone was gathered around, Tempest started to speak up.

"As you may or may not know, there was an incident at the warrior's den early today. What started as a quarrel between two dragons quickly turned into a brawl. This kind of behavior is not acceptable." He said continuing on.

Aurora was trying her best to pay attention but it wasn't working. Her claws were digging into the ground as she clenched her toes nervously. She was running out of time to be with her mate before she had to go pick up Daisy. Tempest continued on addressing the clan, but Aurora had no incentive to pay attention as it did not apply to her. Though as she fiddled about nervously, suddenly she heard a whisper in her ear that caused her ear to perk up as she recognized the familiar voice.

"Want to see if we can sneak away without being caught?" Cyclone whispered to her as he finally worked his way through the crowd to find her.

Aurora's ear flickered slightly as she listened to each word from him while trying to drown out the speech in front of her. The idea he proposed sent a chill up her spine. The thrill and the risk of being caught made it seem even more interesting and exciting.

"Let's do it." She whispered back into his ear. After giving him her response, the two of them very slowly started backing up, gently pushing the other dragons aside until they were on the outer edge of the crowd. The kept low to the ground but kept their heads perked up, checking to see if anyone had eyes on them.

After looking around they both quickly darted backwards and ducked underneath a hill that obscured them from sight of everyone else. Aurora checked to see if the coast was clear. Thankfully no one had seen them. After going back down under the hill she let out an excited giggle as they appeared to be in the clear.

"This is so wrong! If we get caught we'll be in so much trouble!" Aurora said with a smile on her face as she seemed to enjoy the thrill of it.

"That's what makes it so fun." Cyclone said with a grin. "Is the coast clear?"

Aurora nodded.

"Alright quickly!" He said motioning for her to get up. The two of them quickly sprinted as fast as they could to avoid being seen by patrolling warriors. When they looked up, a warrior was patrolling the skies, flying overhead. If the warrior spotted them, they would be in trouble. They both quickly took shelter underneath a nearby tree, trying to hide themselves from the patrol.

After the warrior flew northward, Aurora and Cyclone quickly headed south toward their cave, running as fast as their feet could possibly take them. Their cave seemed so close, only a couple more yards ahead. As they were making a run for it, another patrolling warrior was flying overhead, only this time they had no trees to hide under. They quickly sprinted into their cave and backed up against the wall, looking outside.

Thankfully, the patrolling warrior just so happened to be keeping his eyes to the skies and not looking down below when he was flying over. Aurora and Cyclone waited patiently to see if the warrior was coming to reprimand them. After a minute past without any indication of being caught, they knew they had succeeded.

They looked at each other and smiled as wide as they could. They quickly ran deeper into the cave until they were at their nest. As soon as they felt the soft grass and leaf bedding of their nest under their feet, they quickly turned and lunged towards each other, meeting in a tight embrace with a strong kiss. As their tongues quickly intertwined in the kiss, they fell over, with Cyclone on top of her, determined to make every second count.

Cyclone had to stimulate her nethers with his member first before he was able to get inside of her to start thrusting. The process would take at least a few seconds but to them it seemed like eternity as they were growing more and more antsy. Eventually it worked and Aurora's sweetspot soon started poking out of her body, exposed. Without waiting even a moment, He quickly began to slide all the way inside of her as deep as could, much to both of their satisfaction.

As Cyclone started wildly bucking his hips into her, the two of them wrapped each other in their wings and resumed their kiss, sharing tongue as they did so. They weren't content to stay in one spot since they had so much nervous energy and sexual tension built up between them. Once they were wrapped together, they started rolling around in their nest, alternating positions.

They started the day with so much frustration and desire that to be together at last locked in an intimate embrace was an indescribable feeling. They both started to get rough, pushing and lightly scratching each other which only made the experience more appealing.

Aurora put her front and back feet on his belly and slightly pushed him back so she could have a moment to breathe. She dropped her head to the nest floor and started breathing heavily with her mouth open as she still took in the overwhelming pleasure.

Cyclone continued to kiss and rub her body with his wings as she tried to catch a breath. He took the moment to lightly nibble on her throat with his teeth as he wrapped his jaws around her neck. Since he was laying on top of her chest, he could feel her heart racing rapidly underneath him. Her heart pounded heavily against his chest as he continued on with one thrust after another, occasionally squeezing her throat with his teeth.

Aurora's breath was cut off every once in awhile when he squeezed her throat, but she enjoyed it and was even more aroused by it. He waited until she took a deep inhale before biting down on her throat, squeezing her windpipe shut. Aurora closed her eyes and hummed happily as she secretly enjoyed the feeling of risk and danger as it made her excited. His teeth gripped around her throat prevented her from breathing. She took her front feet off of his chest, allowing him to overwhelm her completely. Once she let him back in, he went back to thrusting his hips into her again.

Aurora's mouth opened wide as she tried to catch a breath but couldn't. She curled her toes and started kicking her feet in nervous anticipation. He eventually released her throat, bringing his face up to hers so he could feel her soft warm exhale on his face. After catching her breath, Aurora wrapped him in her wings again they kissed, sharing tongue. He started to pick up his pace with the thrusting until they both reached a climax. Normally their sexual encounters lasted longer but after waiting so long they both wanted to reach a climax as soon as possible.

He gripped onto her body tightly and plunged his member back into her nethers one last time before releasing his load into her body. The both of them continued caressing and rubbing each other all over with their feet and wings and they experienced a feeling that they had not felt in almost a year.

After he was finish, Cyclone very slowly pulled out of her and then rolled off of her belly to land on his back on the nest beside her. The two of them had their mouths wide open as they were both out of breath and trying to breathe as fast as they could.

Through her heavy panting Aurora was able to speak up. "Feel better?" She said as her heart was still racing.

He chuckled slightly in between heavy breaths. "Never better." He said taking a large inhale before exhaling. "You?" He asked.

"Haven't felt this satisfied and refreshed in forever." She said as the both of them were smiling happily. After having finally satisfied their urge for sexual intimacy, both of them were happy and feeling good as new. After such an exhausting activity, they felt like taking a nice cool bath in the river but both of their genitals were still exposed on the outsides of their bodies. They decided to wait until their exposed parts receded back into their bodies before heading out to bathe. For now they just enjoyed laying on their backs beside each other as they had plenty of time left. Both of them were happy and satisfied at last.

On the other side of camp, Thunder was going for a walk out into the woods to clear his head. By this time, night had fallen across the land and Thunder wanted some peace and quiet so he could think to himself. Lately his relationship with Glade was starting to blossom but they had gotten into a fight earlier.

As Thunder walked deeped and deeper into the woods, he started to feel more at peace as he was surrounded by peace and quiet. The only sound he could hear was the sound of fallen leaves crunching as he walked. But as he went deeper into the woods, far away from the outskirts of the camp, he started to hear what sounded like a vicious battle.

Thunder went to go investigate. He eventually came to a cliff that overlooked the ocean but what he saw next made his jaw drop. Way below the cliff on the smooth beach, a large army of purple dragons belonging to Nithogg's clan were huddled together, sparring and practicing as if preparing for war. Large bonfires made a perimeter around the beach, giving them light to see as they sparred.

"Impossible!" Thunder whispered to himself. For the longest time, he and the other dragons of Tempest's clan thought they had driven Nithogg and his clan out of Stormheim. He looked around at the fearsome army as they trained, but he saw no sign of Nithogg himself.

Back as camp, Highdragon Tempest was laying on his side in his own cave. He was practicing his speech for the next council meeting. Eclipse was laying in the nest behind him, asleep and not preparing for anything as she was no longer on the council. As Tempest rehearsed his speech in his head, he soon heard the beating of wings coming from outside his cave. He recognized the dragon approaching his cave as Thunder.

"Thunder? What brings you to my cave this late at night?" Tempest said.

"Nithogg's clan. They're back and preparing for war." Thunder said with an exhausted tone of voice as he had been flying back to camp as fast as his wings could take him.

Tempest seemed shocked. He looked back to see Eclipse still sleeping before turning his attention back to Thunder. "You're sure of this?" He said with a lowered tone of voice as to not awake his mate.

Thunder nodded. "Saw them myself. They've made a new camp underneath a cliff to hide themselves. They could be upon us at any moment." He said.

Tempest lowered his head and started to lightly stroke his chin as he pondered. "Did you see Nithogg?" he asked.

Thunder shook his head.

"Where could he be..." Tempest wondered for a moment.

"Highdragon, I don't wish to speak for the council, but we should strike them before they strike us. They cannot be trusted. Nithogg has brainwashed every last one of them. They seek nothing but murder and mayhem." Thunder said.

Tempest nodded slowly. "I will consult the council in one week's time. Until then I want you to gather as much information as you possibly can. Find out where Nithogg is, count how many of them you see, and see if you can find any possible weak points or gaps in their defenses.

"You do not wish immediate action?" Thunder said, sitting down.

Tempest shook his head. "As savage as they are, I would like to believe they learned their lesson from crossing us the first time. My hope is that they are just trying to keep to themselves and have no plans to attack anyone. Hopefully they are just sparring to tighten the defenses of their new camp. If all they wish is to survive and be left alone, I see no reason to deny them that privilege. That's why I'm counting on you, Thunder. I want you to get to the bottom of this. Find out what they are up to and who is leading them."

Thunder nodded. "I will do what I can." He said before bowing to Tempest. He then took off into the cold silent night. Thankfully the whole situation helped him to forget his fight with Glade. Now he was determined to find out what Nithogg's clan was up to.


	36. Chapter 36: A Tragic Discovery

Early in the morning, Cyclone and the other hunters were already up and ready to go to work. Thunder was late to the meetings and all the other hunters were standing around waiting for him to show up and assign each hunter their task for the morning. Despite the annoyance of having to wait around doing nothing, Cyclone was feeling rather happy today regardless. The night of passion that he spent with his mate the previous night had left him in the most agreeable of moods.

"What's taking so long?" One male hunter, Cloud, said with annoyed tone of voice.

Another dragon, Oak, nodded. "Yeah where is Thunder?" He said as they both began looking to Cyclone.

When Cyclone saw them looking at him he shrugged. "What? Why are you looking at me for?" He asked.

"Well you're his closest friend. I assume you two notify each other of your business?" Oak asked.

Cyclone shook his head. "I haven't seen him since the clan meeting last night. If there is one thing I know for sure about Thunder it's that he takes great pride in his work. He wouldn't be late unless it was for a very good reason." He said.

A female hunter, Rose, spoke up. "Well maybe someone should go look for him?" She said.

"I'll go." Said Oak. "I'll check his cave." He said before turning to take flight.

The rest of them laid down on their bellies with their heads up and legs folded in front of them. Rose looked toward Cyclone and noticed that he seemed distracted, almost as if daydreaming about something.

"What's got you all peppy this morning?" Rose asked as she noticed the smirk on Cyclone's face.

Cyclone chuckled with a smile. "It's nothing." He said nervously as he was recalling his night with Aurora.

Rose smiled back as she was able to guess at what he was thinking. "Ohhhhhh I get it now." She grinned.

"Shhh!" Cyclone said back to her. "Don't make me tackle you." Cyclone jested.

Rose snickered to herself as she couldn't resist the urge to poke fun at her fellow hunters.

"Why waste time pestering me when you could be talking to your crush, Cloud." Cyclone said just loud enough for Cloud to see it. When Cloud did hear it, he perked his head up to look towards the two of them.

Rose's cheeks flushed a bright red as she looked towards Cloud. "He's lying!" She said before looking back to Cyclone and covering her head with her wing so she could whisper to him. "I should be the one tackling you." She said.

Cyclone chuckled and rubbed his chin, amused. He looked back towards Cloud and gave him an affirmative head nod.

As the three of them poked fun at each other, Oak quickly returned from his flight to Thunder's cave. "Uh guys... Thunder isn't in his cave."

"What?" Said Cloud.

"Well we should spread out then." Cyclone said. "Rose, check the infirmary. Oak and Cloud check the other caves in the camp to see if he's in someone elses den. I'll check the forest." He said before nodding to them all.

They all nodded back to him and went their separate ways.

Cyclone ventured out into the forest, using his acquired hunting skills to try and locate his friend. He couldn't find any tracks around the camp's perimeter so he decided to go beyond the camp's boundaries and search the surrounding forests. By mid afternoon, there was still no sign of Thunder's whereabouts. The forest floor was mostly leaves which were constantly being blown away, thus discarding of any footprints. Cyclone instead turned towards broken twigs and crushed plants, a tip that Thunder had taught him earlier.

Luckily he picked up a trail of broken twigs and started to follow it. The forest in this area was mostly silent. Only the occasional chirp of a bird and a slight rustling of leaves as little critters scampered about in Cyclone's wake. Though eventually the normal forest sound was quickly interrupted as Cyclone began hearing vicious growls and snarls as if they were coming from a pack of wolves. Cyclone walked further up ahead to see where the noise was coming from. When he came upon the scene, what he saw caused his jaw to drop and his heart to quickly sink to the bottom of his chest.

Thunder was laying on his back, dead. A pack of wolves had torn into his belly and were now feasting on his organs. As Cyclone watched the horrific scene unfold, he quickly fell to his knees and began to weep for his fallen friend. Thunder had always been Cyclone's best friend and now he was gone. Hearing the sound of crunching and tearing as the wolves continued eating Thunder made Cyclone's blood curdle. He wept out loud, his tears falling to the forest floor as he mourned the tragic lost of his good friend.

Some time later, a couple members of the clan had arrived at the scene after Cyclone went back to tell them the bad news. Aurora, Eclipse, Cloud, Rose, Oak, Tempest, and Glade all arrived on the scene.

When Glade saw the corpse of Thunder, her eyes quickly filled up with tears. "Thunder... No..." She said with a faltering voice as she despaired.

The other clan members looked on in shock and horror, covering their mouths as they watched the wolves devour their once good friend. Out of all of them, Glade seemed the most distraught over Thunder's death.

"I loved him..." Glade said through her sobbing. Oak, Rose, and Cloud gathered around to comfort Glade. By now, Cyclone had composed himself and stopped crying. Now he was just angry and wanted to take out his frustration on something.

"Sweetheart..." Aurora said, trying to comfort her grieving mate. "I'm so sorry." She said softly, gently rubbing his shoulder.

"My god..." Tempest said, lowering his head in respect. "This is awful... long has Thunder overseen the hunters in this clan. His loss is a tragedy that will not soon be forgotten." He said to everyone.

Aurora turned towards Eclipse, who was also lowering her head in respect. "How could something like this happen?" Aurora asked.

Eclipse turned her gaze towards Aurora. "It's not uncommon for wolves to hunt us. Dragons are natural prey for wolves. Even though we may be smarter and stronger with our magical power, there is little one can do when they are ambushed by a whole pack. I've had friends before who were tracked, hunted down, and eaten by wolves. It's a very undignified way to go."

Aurora listened to Eclipse while she looked onward. The gruesome scene unfolding in front of her eyes was enough to make her feel sick. The sound of bones crunching and blood splattering made everyone feel uneasy.

Eclipse also patted Glade on the shoulder as she grieved the loss of her loved one.

"We were supposed to be mates..." Glade said through tears. Amidst her grief, a vengeful rage started to form. She wanted to incinerate the wolves into a pile of ash but everyone kept her restrained.

"Killing them won't bring him back." Eclipse said. "They've claimed him as prey fairly. We will return for his body once they are finished and give him a proper ceremony." She said, respecting the natural cycle of life. Normally Storm Dragons cremated their dead out of respect but they respected the rules of nature. Eclipse and the others turned to leave, keeping their heads down. They left Thunder's body alone as the wolves had hunted and claimed him fair in square.

Some time later, Cyclone and Tempest returned to the forest to retrieve Thunder's body after the wolves finished taking what they needed from his body to survive. When they arrived, his body was hollow as the wolves had eaten all of his organs and muscles. It pained Cyclone to look over the corpse of his dead friend, but as he did so he made a discovery.

"Tempest." Cyclone said. "Look here." He said, pointing to Thunder's throat. There was a large slash mark in his neck that pierced his windpipe.

Highdragon Tempest shrugged. "I don't see anything. It just looks like the spot where they finished him off." He said.

"That's just it." Cyclone said. "Wolves don't slash. Wolves don't claw and slice their prey open. They bite. His throat should have bite marks from where they snapped his neck but his throat is slashed open. He wasn't killed by wolves, he was executed." Cyclone reasoned.

Tempest rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know, Cyclone... it seems like you're grasping at straws here." He said.

"Really?" Cyclone said. "I can understand a normal warrior becoming prey for wolves but Thunder was a hunter. Not just any hunter, a master hunter. He could find tracks so small other hunters couldn't notice them even if they looked for hours. He knew these forests inside out...what creatures lived here and what types of dangers lurked around every corner. He was a survivalist like nobody had ever seen. Do you think it makes sense that one of the greatest hunters of all time was tracked down and killed by a pack of mindless wolves?"

"Even if you are right, where do we go from here? We don't have the slightest clue who killed him or why. Even if he was murdered, we wouldn't even know where to begin to start looking." Tempest reasoned.

"Why was Thunder even out here in the first place?" Cyclone inquired.

Tempest grew silent for a moment and closed his eyes as he sighed.

"Tempest?" Cyclone said. "What is it?"

"He was out here on my orders." Tempest said.

Cyclone perked his head up and widened his eyes. "Why?"

"He found out that Nithogg's clan was still in Stormheim and that they were preparing for war. I sent him to investigate Nithogg's clan further." Tempest admitted.

Cyclone lowered his brows angrily. "It all makes sense... Thunder obviously dug too deep and found something he wasn't supposed to find. They killed him to keep him quiet. Tempest, you have to order a strike against Nithogg's clan. They have to be dealt with for good!" Cyclone said.

Tempest raised a foot, trying to calm Cyclone down. "Just calm down for a moment. This is all guesses and hunches. We have no solid proof of anything. I told Thunder i would consult the council on this matter in one weeks time. I intend to stay true to that promise. We will discuss whether or not we should eliminate Nithogg's clan for good." Tempest said.

"I will say one thing, though." Tempest added. "Your theory does make sense. If somebody did murder him they obviously didn't want him to talk. I will take this information into consideration when the council meets. But for now, I can't have you chasing ghosts based on inconclusive evidence." Tempests said as he lowered his head to hoist Thunder's onto his back.

Cyclone helped Tempest carry Thunder's body. Once it was secure, the two of them looked towards each other. "I am very sorry, Cyclone. Thunder was a good friend of mine too. Rest assured, whoever did this will pay. I promise you that." He said, lowering his eyebrows and nodding to Cyclone respectively.

Back at camp, Tempest had called another clan meeting to inform everybody as to what happened.

"I have some dreadful news to announce to you all." Tempest said with a booming voice. "Thunder, our head hunter, was killed by wolves last night."

When Tempest made the announcement, everyone in the crowd gasped and started muttering to each other.

"We have also learned that Nithogg's clan has not left Stormheim. They are still here on the outermost reaches of the land. As to whether or not these two events are linked is still being investigated. We will do everything we can to find out how this horrible tragedy happened. For now, we will mourn Thunder, and honor his legacy." He said as he gestured for a warrior to bring out Thunder's body.

Once everyone saw Thunder's body they all gasped, with some of them starting to cry. "I will now cremate Thunder and give him the proper respect he deserves. His ashes will be scattered across our camp just as our ancestors were. He was brought into life in this camp, and now he will be laid to rest in this camp." Tempest said as he raised his wings high into the air. "To Thunder." He said, honoring the fallen hunter.

Everyone in the crowd raised their wings into the air with Tempest. "To Thunder." The crowd said all at once. Tempest then lowered his head and breathed intense lightning over Thunder's dead body until he was turned to ash.

After seeing all that he needed to see, Cyclone lowered his head and retreated back to his cave. Aurora noticed her mate leaving the ceremony and decided to follow him back to the cave.

When Aurora arrived at the cave she was holding Daisy. "I can't imagine what you're going through. Is there anything I can do to help?" She said.

Cyclone turned towards her. "Can I hold her?" He asked.

Aurora nodded. "Of course!" She said, handing their daughter over to him.

Cyclone looked down at his daughter and couldn't help but smile. Despite the grief he felt inside, he always felt comfortable and happy when he was around his family. Just holding his little girl made him feel a million times better. A lone tear formed in Cyclone's eye as he smiled and stared at Daisy. Aurora got beside him and wrapped him in her wings, tightly hugging him.

"Papa!" Daisy burted out with a happy smile.

Aurora and Cyclone both gasped and smiled as the same time. "Awww..." Aurora said, her heart melting at hearing her daughter's first words. Deep down, Aurora was just happy that she found something to distract Cyclone from his pain.

Cyclone smiled and wiped the tear from his eye. "Papa!" He said back to her. "Papa loves you very much. No matter how old you get and no matter what happens to us, you'll always be our little baby girl." He said, giving Daisy a kiss on the forehead, which caused her to giggle happily.

"That's so sweet." Aurora said, looking up to him. "Hey. I'm really sorry about what happened. Are you going to be okay?" She asked.

Cyclone turned to her and smiled with a nod. "If Thunder was here, he would want me to go on with my life. The best way to honor him would be to move on and make him proud by walking in his footsteps. Hopefully one day I can aspire to become as good of a dragon as he was." He said.

Aurora smiled. "That's very wise of you." She said, leaning forward to give her mate a kiss on the lips.

After spending the new few hours playing with his mate and daughter inside of their cave, Cyclone looked up to see Tempest entering their cave.

"Highdragon." Cyclone said. "What can I do for you?"

"We still mourn Thunder's loss but we need a new leader of the hunters as soon as possible. You knew him more than anyone else. Would it be too much to ask for you to take up his mantle?" Tempest asked.

Aurora covered her lip and looked towards her mate, wondering what his response would be.

Cyclone smiled and held his head high. "I would be honored."

Once night had fallen and Aurora and Cyclone were curled up together, Cyclone started to grow restless. Aurora and Daisy were both sound asleep but something kept gnawing at Cyclone that kept him from getting any sleep. He still stuck to the belief that Thunder had been murdered but every reason he could think of seemed unlikely. If it was Nithogg's clan that did it, why would they kill one of Tempest's dragons knowing full-well what happened last time? If it was the Vrykul, why would they not harvest Thunder's body? If anymore murdered Thunder, why leave his body out in the open as if asking to be found?

So many questions yet so few answers. Everyone else in the camp went about their normal business, but Cyclone couldn't help but think something wasn't right...


	37. Chapter 37: Endgame

A week had passed and it was the night before the council would meet to discuss Nithogg's clan. Highdragon Tempest was awake late at night, still practicing his speeches over and over as he had been all week. Deep down inside, he still felt conflicted about the threat of Nithogg's clan. Part of him wanted to believe that Nithogg and his clan wished for peace but he knew better. Nithogg was not one to live in peace, not one to be content. The only way the sadistic Highdragon could ever be satisfied is if all the lands belonged to him. As Tempest thought things over, his new mate, Eclipse, slowly approached him to put her wings on his shoulders. Upon feeling his mates warm touch on his body, Tempest let out a deep warm hum as he closed his eyes.

"Something still troubles you. I can sense it." Eclipse said as she tried to calm his nerves.

Tempest nodded. "Of course. Killing is something that I take no pleasure in. If I do nothing i fear they will grow until they can take us over, but at the same time if I strike to soon it will be a massacre. I truly wish from the bottom of my heart that their clan will keep to themselves but I can't risk the lives of my clan." He said, resting his touch upon Eclipse's cheek.

"If they truly wished peace they would have moved far away. They insist on living next door to us as if to taunt us and test our willingness to act." Eclipse said as she moved around him and laid on her side facing him as he laid on his side facing her.

"Many many years I have lived and yet through all this time that has passed, the decision to deal out life or death has not grown easier." Tempest said as he stared at her. "My vote is as important as the rest of the council's. Should I be the deciding vote, I will have to choose whether or not to condemn tens if not hundreds of dragons to their deaths."

Eclipse tilted her head. "I've never known you to be conflicted like this before."

"That's just it." He sighed. "Many times I have dealt out punishments to those who have committed wrongdoings but this situation is different. Normally the punishment comes after the crime but in this case I have to deliver the punishment before the crime." He said opening his eyes. "A crime which may not ever happen. Is it wrong to punish one who has thoughts of murder yet never acts on it? Is it wrong to hold onto hope that they might change their ways and not act upon their impulses?"

"Shall we not parlay with them? Is that not one of our options?" Eclipse asked.

Tempest shook his head. "The time for negotiation has passed. The deal was that we would let them live if they agreed to leave Stormheim and never come back."

"Then they have already committed the crime." Eclipse said.

Tempest looked down as he knew that she was right. He had made tough decisions in the past, but never before had so many lives hung in the balance.

"Follow your heart." Eclipse said, moving closer to him to press her forehead against his. "What you do you do for your clan...for the safety of those you swore to protect. Whichever way you choose to vote, your clan will back you up. You will not be thought of as a monster. The clan trusts you as their leader. Whever you go, they will follow... Wherever you go I will follow because I love you, Tempest." Eclipse said as they touched foreheads.

Tempest moved his head upwards to kiss Eclipse on the lips for a brief moment. "I will. Thank you." He said placing the tip of his wing on her cheek as the both of them smiled at each other happily.

"Earlier today you wished to tell me something?" Tempest asked.

Eclipse shook her head. "It can wait. I'll tell you after the council meets. For now you just focus on your speech." She said, having a big surprise for him but wanting to wait until after all his stress had passed.

Back at Aurora and Cyclone's cave, Daisy was sound asleep but the two of them were still up and growing anxious as to what the council would decide.

"I wish we were still on the council." Aurora said.

"Why?" Cyclone asked. "Is the council meeting tomorrow gnawing at you?"

Aurora nodded. "I want the strike to be called off." She said.

"What for?" He asked.

She looked down for a moment and bit her lip before looking back up towards him. "If we do strike, you'll be called out to go with them." She said, knowing that they would need all the warriors to overwhelm Nithogg's camp but she would be left behind due to her inability to fly. "I don't want you to go off and fight without me. If I ever found out that you fell in battle I... I... I don't know what I would do." She said with a faltering voice.

Cyclone quickly wrapped her front feet with his to soothe her. "Hey hey hey hey." He said using his claw to perk her chin him. "Don't think like that." He said.

"How could I not?" Aurora inquired. "When I awoke after being healed from the Battle of Stormheim, we promised each other that we would always work together in everything... that we would always have each others backs no matter what. If you go out to war, I won't be able to keep that promise." She said.

Cyclone didn't know what to say. Normally he had an answer for everything to calm her nerves but this time he grew silent.

"Even if the mission is a success and we wipe them all from the face of the earth, will you be able to live with yourself after slaying countless defenseless warriors, nursery attendants, young dragons and old dragons who may or may not even be guilty of any crime?" She inquired.

Cyclone shook his head. "I can't answer that. The only thing I can do is trust that the council will deliver a fair, justified, and honest verdict after considerable debate. If they decide that our best chance of keeping this clan safe is to strike at Nithogg's clan, then I will trust them. No matter what happens tomorrow, I will stay true to our clan so that I can keep you and Daisy safe." He said as he tenderly caressed her front feet and legs, trying to easy her nerves.

"You and Daisy are my life...my everything. I will do whatever it takes to keep you two safe and happy." He said looking into her eyes. "Whatever it takes." He repeated.

Aurora nodded slowly and the two of them embraced, hugging each other for comfort as they prepared for the day ahead.

Slowly but surely, the next day came and everyone was talking about the council meeting that was happening soon. As Aurora attended her duties in the infirmary, she was soon approached by her former mentor, Eclipse.

"Hey!" Eclipse said, setting foot inside the infirmary to greet Aurora. "Up all night?" She asked as she started to help Aurora with her morning preparations.

Aurora nodded. "Yes, unfortunately. I think everyone in camp is a little tense today." She said.

Eclipse nodded also. "Tempest has been practicing his speech for a week now. Not a day goes by where he doesn't fret about the council meeting that is supposed to happen today."

"Really?" Aurora said. "I never knew him to be the conflicted type." She said.

"That's what I said. But I have a feeling he'll lighten up after I tell him the good news today." She said with a happy grin on her face.

"What good news?" Aurora said but Eclipse didn't answer. She looked up to Eclipse. "What news?" She asked again.

Eclipse wasn't saying anything, only grinning happily.

"No way..." Aurora said, catching on. "You're pregnant?!" She exclaimed.

Eclipse couldn't help but giggle and nod. "I found out two days ago." She said.

Aurora covered her face in shock but soon started to smile along with Eclipse. "I can't believe it! I didn't think that could happen to a dragon of your age." She said, still surprised.

Eclipse shrugged, still smiling. "It's not unusual. I have a feeling Tempest will be pleasantly surprised..." She said, almost shaking with excitement as she couldn't wait to get the good news off her chest.

"My god... I'm so happy for you, Eclipse! I'm happy for both of you! Hopefully one day our children will be able to play together!" She said happily.

Eclipse nodded as the two of them continued their morning preparation. "That sounds wonderful. I've always been a glass half full kind of girl... I have a feeling that everything is going to turn out for the better." She said confidently.

A couple hours later, Tempest was waiting outside the Throne of the the Council of Dragons. The time had come for the council to meet. All the other councillors were seated and waiting for their Highdragon to show up. He took one last deep breath before walking forward into the field of of view of the other councillors. He bowed to them respectfully before taking his seat amongst them.

"Shall we begin?" Said Tempest with his normal charismatic, deep, and friendly voice. Deep down, he was still nervous. After a nod of approval from the rest of the council he nodded himself. "Alright. Before we begin, a bowl has been placed in front of each and every one of you. Let us drink, in honor of our fallen friend, Thunder." He said gesturing to their drinks.

"To Thunder." Tempest said.

"To Thunder." The rest of the council said before drinking their water.

After finishing his water, Tempest wiped his mouth before speaking up. "Councilman Typhoon, would you like to begin?"

Typhoon nodded. "We are here to decide whether or not to attack Nithogg's clan. I would like to remind you all that Nithogg and his vile crew kidnap dragons from all over Stormheim and force them to battle in an arena to the death. We aren't dealing with civil and reasonable dragons like Vethir and his clan to the east. We're dealing with murderers and savages."

"Do the sins of one Highdragon merit the deaths of so many others?" Councilman Twister spoke out. "Should we so brashly label each and every one of his clan members a treacherous evildoer from the orders of one mad Highdragon?"

Councilor Monsoon rubbed his chin. He didn't know which way to feel despite the other two councilors feeling so strongly. Amongst everyone on the council, Monsoon was most likely the least biased and reasonable. "They don't have to follow him." He said.

Typhoon nodded. "Exactly. No reasonable dragon would ever stand alongside Nithogg. If a Highdragon becomes corrupt, it is the clans duty to overthrow them."

Twister huffed. "Sounds easy when you say it like that. Try and put yourself in their place. Perhaps they are too scared to stand up to him. They may secretly oppose him but are too afraid to speak or act as they or their families might be targeted by Nithogg."

Councilman Storm nodded in agreement. "I share the same sentiment. A dragon will say or do anything under duress especially if their families are targeted."

"Tell me." Typhoon said. "Why is it that so many dragons attend the arena battles? Hmm? All of us have heard Aurora's story of what happened to her in Nithogg's camp. Nobody was under duress there. Every single person in the crowd was cheering and rooting for Aurora to be violently slaughtered and brutally ripped apart. Nobody was just casually sitting around, they were all on their feet, rooting for blood and guts to be spilled. These aren't normal dragons who are just trying to keep a low profile. They're animals and they have been brainwashed into following Nithogg's crazed footsteps." He said angrily.

Councilor Monsoon spoke up finally. "You make a very valid point, Typhoon. Aurora had no reason to lie about her experience and I believe her. If everyone in Nithogg's camp can root for a captured female dragon to be gutted and ripped to pieces, perhaps they are all savage." He said.

"How do you know it's not an act? What if they are trying their best to please their Highdragon and put on a show for him to make him believe that they truly believe what he believes in." Tempest said.

"You'd be surprised how convincing of a show one can put on under extreme circumstances." Storm said.

Typhoon rolled his eyes. "Hunches and guesses. That is what all this is. None of us can know for sure what they truly believe. What we know for certain is that they all..." Typhoon said but he paused for a moment to cough.

"My apologies. I must have ate something bad this morning." Typhoon said as he tried to pick up his previous line of thought. "What we know for certain is that they all will happily jump at the chance to..." He said, being cut off once again.

"I...What I..." Typhoon said breathing heavily as his vision narrowed. "I know that...they..." He paused again to look down and see his feet were shaking and it was getting harder to breathe. "I ... I... oh..." Typhoon said as he slowly fell forward onto his face, curling up into a ball in pain. He started to foam at the mouth as the rest of his body began twitching and jerking violently as he started experiencing seizures.

Immediately after Typhoon fell over, Councilman Twister, Storm, and Monsoon all quickly fell over as well and started convulsing violently. Tempest looked on in shock and horror as they all started seizing uncontrollably. Before he could step forward to help them, Tempest felt his own feet shaking. He grunted and grasped his chest as he started to feel a deep pain. He took a few staggered steps forward but collapsed onto his chest in the middle of the council floor. He started coughing violently as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He quickly grasped his chest to ease the pain.

Tempest continued to cough violently for several seconds and started breathing heavily as his body started twitching and jerking. He very slowly raised his head to look around and see that all the other council members had stopped moving and were no longer breathing.

It was at the moment Tempest knew that they had all been poisoned. Since Tempest was a lot older and much larger in size than the rest of the council, the poison dose wasn't enough to kill him. Nevertheless, Tempest was still reeling in pain. The poison coursed through his body, but it wasn't enough to kill a dragon of his size. Slowly, Tempest started crawling on his belly desperate to find some help.

One of the guards outside the Throne noticed Tempest crawling toward her and she quickly leaped in fear.

"Get..." Tempest said with labored breathing as he was still shaking. "Help... Lock down... the storage...cave..." He said before resting his head on the ground, still wracked with pain.

The guard quickly took flight to alert the camp. The Infirmary was the closest cave to the Throne and the guard quickly stepped inside. "Help!" She screamed. Aurora, Cyclone, and Eclipse were all in the cave when she arrived.

Eclipse looked up in shock. "What is it?!" She said with a worried tone of voice.

"The council has been poisoned! Tempest is still alive but he wants the storage locked down immediately!" The guard said.

"Get the other guards! Take Tempest to a safe cave, we'll be right there! Do it now!" Eclipse yelled.

Eclipse, Cyclone, and Aurora quickly rushed outside of the cave and stopped by the storage cave where the fresh water was stored and found the attendant backed up against the corner.

Aurora quickly stomped forward and grabbed the storage room attendant by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "You had access to the water! What have you done?!" She demanded.

The attendant quickly shook his head in fear as he trembled nervously. "I wasn't me! I...I...I swear! She threatened me! She threatened to kill my entire family!" The attendant said, gulping nervously.

Cyclone and Eclipse got closed to him and slammed him against the wall again. "Who threatened you!"

The attendant started shaking even more. "I-I-I-I... I can't! She'll kill me!" He said, almost in tears.

Aurora growled in his face. "If you don't tell us, I'll kill you right here and now!" She said holding a claw to his throat. She started pressing her claw against his neck, causing him pain.

The attendant cried out nervously. "It was Glade!" He yelled out as Aurora started hurting him.

Aurora's eyes widened and she slowly let him go. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Almost immediately, her heart started to sink as she began to stumble backwards and shake her head in disbelief. The recalled the first time she ever met Glade, back when she was almost raped in Nithogg's camp and Glade came her rescue.

"No..." Aurora said, shaking her head. "It can't be..." She said, feeling a deep sense of dread.

Cyclone and Eclipse both had their jaws dropped in disbelief as they came to grips with the betrayal.

Outside the gave, a guard started yelling. "Go! Everybody get down!" He shouted. Immediately afterwards, the grounded started to shake as lightning began to crackle.

Aurora, Cyclone, and Eclipse rushed outside the cave and looked around at the horrific scene unfolding.

A swarm of purple dragons were flying overhead, bombarding the area below with blasts of lightning. To the shock of everyone, Vrykul were also storming into camp, shooting, stabbing, and tossing nets onto any blue or red dragon they came across.

There was no one to lead the defenses of Tempest's camp so everyone just starting fighting for their lives. Most of the warriors and hunters took to the skies to battle the dragons up above while below, the other hunters and warriors clashed with the Vrykul on the ground.

Eclipse, Aurora, and Cyclone were quickly assailed by purple dragons and Vrykul. They braced themselves for combat and began to fight back.

Aurora spun around, striking at least three Vrykul warriors with her tail but was quickly tackled by a male purple dragon. The male dragon tried to get at Aurora's throat to kill her but he was quickly knocked off and killed by Eclipse who saved Aurora's life.

Cyclone started blocking lightning blasts and firing blasts of his own as he started fighting for his life. All around them, lightning blasts exploded as fiery death rained from above. Vrykul arrows starting flying across the once peaceful camp which had now turned into a battlefield.

Aurora was struggling with another dragon before quickly tossing the dragon aside and impaling him with her claws. Before long Aurora was caught in a net but quickly struggled and cut herself free so she could continue fighting. She overpowered a Vrykul hunter and crushed his skull with her jaws.

"Stick together!" Eclipse said to Aurora and Cyclone. "Back to back! We have to go find Tempest! Glade is going to kill him!" She said as she started advancing forward.

After defeating a couple of Vrykul and purple dragons, a large lightning explosion landed just to the left of Eclipse, missing her barely but striking close enough to deafen her for a moment. The force of the blast knocked Eclipse off of her feet onto her side.

Eclipse's vision got hazy and all she could hear was a ringing in her ears as she tried to come back to her senses. When she looked up, her vision was still narrowed but she could see the bloody corpses of her fellow clanmates all around her. Nursery attendants, hunters, and warriors alike were starting to fall one after another. Right in front of her eyes, a fleeing hunter was pounced on by a large purple dragon. The purple dragon flipped him over and started tearing into his belly, ripping out his organs one by one. The ringing in Eclipse's ears still persisted as she looked on in horror as her clanmates were being slaughtered left and right. She couldn't believe that this was happening. It almost seemed like a horrible nightmare and she expected to wake up at any moment but she didn't.

All around, trees were catching fire and the grass that had once covered the peaceful camp ground was starting to wither away and die as the intense battle raged. One by one, dead dragons started falling from the sky, plummeting towards the earth. The camp ground began to run red with blood as Tempest's clan desperately fought back against the purple dragons and the vrykul who had now joined forces. The skies, which were once blue and calm, now started to turn black as lightning magic pulsed violently throughout the air and thunder echoed throughout the land.


	38. Chapter 38: Overthrown

Glade was sitting alone in her cave while the intense battle started to rage outside. Loud bursts of thunder and flashes of lightning rang across the camp. The sound of trees burning and dead dragons falling from the sky could be heard from every corner of Tempest's camp. Glade had her front leg outstretched and she was holding a dragon's claw that had belonged to Thunder in the ball of her foot. She stared at Thunder's claw for a moment as she recalled what happened a week ago with perfect clarity.

Thunder was prowling about at night in the northern forests of Stormheim. Each step he took was silent and gentle as to not arouse any suspicion. When he arrived at the cliff overlooking Nithogg's camp, what he saw unnerved him to his very core. On one side of the camp, there were Vrykul and on the other side were purple dragons, sitting together and parlaying.

"Irglov's and Nithogg's clans unite against us?" Thunder said to himself. This news was troubling indeed as the only reason he could figure for such an alliance would be to dispose of their common enemy; Tempest.

Thunder quickly turned around to take flight and warn his clan of the impending threat but before he could he quickly ran into Glade who had been following him from camp.

"Glade?" Said Thunder, surprised as he wasn't expecting her. "What are you doing out here? It isn't safe! We have to get back to camp and warn the others!" He said grabbing a hold of Glade's front leg to tug her along but she wasn't moving. He turned back around to see Glade sitting still in front of him. "Glade what are you doing? We have to warn everyone, Now!" He said.

Glade was heartbroken on the inside. Her deepest fear was that Thunder would find out about what her clan was up to. Now that he knew, she had to make sure he kept quiet. "I can't let you do that..." She said with a faltering voice.

Thunder perked both of his brows and widened his eyes. "What on earth are you talking about? You..." He said with a pause. "What are you saying, Glade... are...are you with them?" He said, not wishing it to be true.

Glade was almost trembling at how torn she was. Deep down she had started to develope feelings for him but her duty to her clan was more important. "Thunder... Tempest has to go... The Council has to be brought down." She said, still with a lowered voice as she was still heartbroken but held on to hope that he would join her.

"Your clan thinks of my clan as nothing more than savages and monsters. We're not the evil ones, Tempest is!" She said, stepping closer to him. "Please I beg you, Thunder! Don't leave... stay with me! We can be together. We can be happy... We can have a life here..." She pleaded.

Thunders jaw was dropped. As Glade moved forward to try and place her wing on his shoulder, he swatted her wing away. "I can't believe what i'm hearing...You were with Nithogg this whole time..." He said, astonished.

Glade shook her head. "After the Battle of Stormheim, Nithogg was blinded by Aurora. I had my chance and I took it. I plunged my claws through his dead eyes and ended his terrible reign for good. What you see before you is not Nithogg's clan... It is my clan." She said, confirming that she had taken over as leader.

Thunder was speechless. His jaw was dropped in disbelief.

"Tempest and his council are corrupt. They preach peace, harmony, freedom, and happiness for all dragons yet they condemn my clan to death by starvation and exposure! I've seen countless friends of mine die to hunger out here! Tempest's territory encompasses much land, leaving little for the rest of us. He has to be stopped!" She insisted.

Thunder lowered his brows and scowled at her. "You lie! Tempest is the most honorable, noble, courageous, and just leader I have ever known in my entire life! All of you have been brainwashed by Nithogg. From the moment you all were born you have known nothing but violence and domination. When Tempest finds out about this, you'll be sorry!" He threatened as he looked away from her.

It was at this moment that Glade knew that they would never be able to be together. "He won't..." Glade said.

Thunder quickly looked back to her. "Oh really? How do you figure?" He said, figuring she was threatening him.

"Thunder..." Glade said almost in tears. "I'm giving you one last chance. Please come with me. I love you! and I want to be with you! but if you refuse and turn back to camp... I'll have no choice but to kill you." She threatened. "Please don't make me do this. Do you not care for me? Don't you not love me too?" She asked, desperately wanting him to love her.

Thunder nodded. When he did, Glade's face lit up with hope for a brief moment before Thunder spoke up. "I used to... Not anymore." He said giving her one last look. "You're dead to me." He said with an angry scowl as he turned to walk back to camp.

Glade closed her eyes and lowered her head as she despaired. She clenched her talons as hard as she could as she fought the turmoil she was feeling inside. Though she finally snapped and leaped onto Thunder's back as he was leaving. She wrapped her jaws around the back of his neck and twisted her head, causing his neck to snap. After taking him down, Glade rolled him over until he was laying on his back.

Thunder war completely paralyzed, unable to move any part of his body except for his eyes and mouth. When he looked up to her, she was crying out loud, her tears flowing down her purple cheeks and onto Thunder's belly.

She continued to weep. "Curse you for making me do this, Thunder!" She said through sobs. "We could have been happy!" She screamed. "We could have had a family! This is on you! My clan is not the evil one, yours is! Not mine! Not mine..." She said as she continued to cry. When she looked down at him she could tell that he was suffering and miserable from the great pain he was in. For a brief moment, Thunder's eyes met hers and a lone tear came to his eye as he knew deep down that he still loved her but he could never be with her after learning of her betrayal.

Glade couldn't bear to watch him suffer anymore. "I'm so sorry..." She said through faint whimpers as she brought her claws up to his neck and slit his throat so he could die quickly.

For a brief moment Thunder gasped as his throat was slit. It hurt for a brief moment but he soon started to pass out, his eyes closing, never to open again.

Already Glade knew that she would have to make his death look like an accident. If Tempest's clan found out he was missing they would never stop looking for him. She knew she had to dispose of his body somehow but for now she just buried her face into his shoulder and wept. The light from the moon started to fade, shrouding the land in darkness, leaving Glade all alone in the dark as she cried and grieved.

Back in the present time, Glade was still looking at Thunder's claw in her gasp. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before clenching her talons and turning to exit the cave, entering the battlefield outside.

Eclipse, Aurora, and Cyclone had managed to round up a few warriors and hunters to fight with them. All the other hunters and warriors in the camp were scattered and fighting for their lives with no direction or leadership. At least six hunters and three warriors joined the trio in the center of the battlefield. The group of them formed a circle, each one facing outwards to protect each others backs.

"This way!" Eclipse yelled out to all of them. "We have to get to Tempest before Glade kills him! Hurry!" She said looking up towards the hill where Tempest was resting in a cave. Many Vrykul and Purple Dragon's blocked their way and it would take some time to fight their way through the seemingly endless horde of enemies.

Tempest was laying in his cave, still wracked with pain. When he looked up, he saw Glade passing by her guards and coming to confront him. He growled and snarled at her angrily.

He lowered his brow as she sat down and looked over him. "You've come to leer over me like a crow have you? Come to watch me suffer?" He said with a scowl.

"You've caused no small amount of suffering yourself, Tempest." She said with her brows lowered also.

Tempest chuckled through his pain. "Just as Nithogg taught you, hmm? All wrongdoings must be repaid with revenge?"

She shook her head. "Not revenge. Justice. You claim to be a just leader, yet your actions say different."

"What is my crime then? Not letting your group of brutes and thugs into my camp?" He said, clenching his chest as he felt another sharp jab of pain from the poison.

"Nithogg is dead. I killed him myself. His influence has washed away. I lead my clan by my own set of rules, by my own judgment, yet you still label us as if we were all still Nithogg's lapdogs. If it were up to you, you would have my clan and your clan live separate and war with each other until the end of time. I have a different vision for the future, Tempest. Your clan and my clan will learn to live together. We will grow strong, far stronger than the Vrykul. Your clan will learn to live by my rules or they will die." Glade said.

Tempest huffed. "My clan will never bow to a lying, treacherous thug like you. If you rule through fear, the only thing to come of it will be revolution. Though who am I to lecture such a wise and experienced leader like yourself?" He said sarcastically.

"Don't patronize me, Tempest. I see through the lies and hypocrisies of this clan. You teach peace yet plan to slaughter my people in the dead of night... you preach freedom yet confine my clan to a land with barely any food... you preach equality yet you refuse to take in any dragon of purple scale color." Glade said.

He clenched his teeth and held his chest once more. "I took you in." He said looking up to her. "Nobody wanted you. Not even Nithogg. I believed in you... I believed that you had goodness inside of you despite your upbringings..." He huffed. "I was a fool to trust you."

She scowled at him at remained silent as she watched him cough and twitch slightly in pain.

"So what now? You think your people and mine will just follow you like that? Leadership has to be earned through respect. You assumed power by default just because you finished off your wounded leader. You haven't the first clue how to lead." He taunted.

Glade shook her head again. "My clan follows me because they believe what I say. They believe that your clan is corrupt. I watched as my own friends and family starved to death because of your greed for land. Your council makes you weak... it makes you slow to act. You knew about my camp for a week yet did nothing. A true leader needs to be swift and decisive. If something threatens your clan, you don't debate and discuss, you act. The will to act is everything." She said.

"Dragons weren't meant to live like this." Said Glade. "This feud between our clans is pointless. You would have us live apart and fight while the Vrykul take everything from us. The Vrykul are the real enemies to all dragons. This isn't how it should be, we should live together in harmony and take down our foe together." Glade added.

"Such wise words... one might even think you a scholar with such talk. Yet the only way you can accomplish your goals is through murder and mayhem." He said through increasingly painful breaths.

Glade turned her head away from him. "I small price to pay. Sometimes people have to die for things to change. You should have kept your eyes on the real threat instead of on us." She said.

"Don't lecture me, child." Tempest snapped. "You threw in your lot with the very Vrykul who threaten us both. You murdered your own Highdragon and usurped leadership and suddenly you think you're my peer? What a joke!" He snapped. "You haven't a clue what you speak of." He said angrily.

"I do." She said turning back and getting close to him. "You and your council are a disease upon this land... and I am the solution." She said, extending a toe towards him, placing a sharp claw on his neck. "You've caused enough pain and suffering. You have lived your last day." She said.

"My clan will rise up against you. Your days are already numbered. I have nothing further to discuss with you, Snake." He said as he watched her stand over him. He huffed one last time. "Well what are you waiting for? If you're wanting me to beg you'll be disappointed. Finish it you coward!" He said before spitting at her foot as she outstretched her claws towards his throat.

Glade wiped her claws off with her wings and leaned back over him. "We'll see..."

On the battlefield, Eclipse, Aurora, Cyclone, and ten other warriors were fighting there way up the hill to Tempest's cave.

"We're almost there! I can see Glade's bodyguards!" Eclipse said as she broke rank to viciously assault the guards standing watch over the cave.

Aurora and Cyclone stood shoulder to shoulder as they projected a barrier in front of the rest of the group. Already they were tiring and losing stamina but they soldiered onward to save Tempest. After holding the rear position long enough for Eclipse to dispatch the guards, Eclipse finally spoke up.

"The rest of you stand watch outside! Aurora and Cyclone with me! Let's go!" Said Eclipse as she was in a hurry to save her mate.

The three of them hurried into the cave, all the while Eclipse was growling with anger. "Glade! It's over!" She yelled as she got deeper into the cave but heard nothing from inside.

They scoped out the cave until they reached the end. Eclipse was still on the prowl looking for Glade but once she reached the back of the cave, there in front of her laid Tempest, his throat slit wide open and no longer moving.

"No..." Eclipse said, her heart sinking to the bottom of her chest.

Aurora and Cyclone's jaws dropped and they covered their mouths with their wings in shock and horror.

Eclipse ran up to Tempest's body. "No...no no no... Tempest..." Eclipse said as her eyes swelled up with tears. She looked down upon her beloved mate, and despaired. She wailed out loud as she hugged Tempest's dead body close to her chest, getting blood all over her but she didn't care. Her tears streamed down her cheeks and onto Tempest's once warm and friendly face.

Aurora and Cyclone were choked up. As they covered their mouths in horror, they couldn't help but shed a few tears. They were too late. Their once proud, respected, and brave leader had been executed. Their clan was no more.

After a while of silent respect, the guards outside started to shout for assistance as Glade's and Irglov's warriors were rapidly approaching.

Aurora and Cyclone quickly ran outside the cave and reformed the line with the remaining warriors. Both of them were enraged at their leaders death and began clawing, slashing, and burning everything in their path.

As Aurora looked around her, the rest of her clan had surrendered and they were all being tied up. Countless red and blue dragons were laying on the ground as Vrykul bound their limbs. Aurora, Cyclone, Eclipse, and the ten warriors were the only ones left.

The Vrykul and Glade's clan advanced forward up the hill, fighting vigorously with Aurora and Cyclone as they made their last stand. One by one the warriors started to fall until only Aurora and Cyclone were left, standing back to back, fighting desperately. Through all the chaos, violence, and bloodshed, one voice rang out.

"Enough!" Glade shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Aurora, Cyclone...I suggest you surrendered immediately. I don't want to have to hurt the little one." She said holding up Daisy who was crying for her mother.

"Daisy..." Aurora said, as both she and Cyclone were horrified at seeing their child in the hands of the one who overthrew their clan.

"Okay Glade..." Cyclone said trying to sound calm. "We give up. Just please don't hurt her." He pleaded.

"On your bellies. Front and back legs stretched out." Glade demanded.

Aurora and Cyclone had no choice but to surrender. They both laid down on their bellies and did as Glade instructed.

"Tie their feet up." Glade said to the Vrykul. The Vrykul then started to wrap Aurora and Cyclone's feet together with rope.

Aurora remained still she felt her feet being bound. When she looked around, there were many dead bodies of Vrykul and dragons of all color. So much death, destruction, and misery. Even at this moment it all felt like a bad dream. Once she and her mate were firmly bound, Aurora looked up to Glade.

"You win... Please... please don't hurt my baby." She pleaded. "Let me have my baby please!" She said.

Glade nodded and let Daisy go. Once released, Daisy gently crawled her way over to her mother, crying all the way. Once she was close enough, Aurora scooped up her daughter in her front legs even though they were bound.

Glade appeared satisfied as she looked around at the camp, having successfully conquered it. Irglov, leader of the Vrykul approached Glade.

"We have done as you asked. We have kept out end of the deal. We trust you will keep yours?" He said as his clan rallied behind him.

Glade nodded to him. "You have done well. You may take Nithogg's old camp and my temporary camp for your own. Let peace exist between us for many years to come." Glade said before bowing.

Upon hearing this news, Cyclone was fuming with anger. "Glade had threw her lot in with Vrykul in exchange for land?!" He thought to himself.

As the Vrykul began to leave to colonize their new land, the leader of Glade's warriors spoke to her. "What should we do with them?" He said.

Glade wiped the blood off of her face and composed herself. "Gather them all up." She said. "It's time for a little clan meeting."


	39. Chapter 39: A New World

After the coup that overthrew Tempest and his clan, all of the blue and red dragons in the camp had their feet tied up and were laying on their bellies shoulder-to-shoulder in the middle of camp. Glade's clan gathered them all up and laid them in in rows, all of them facing forward towards a giant boulder. Each red and blue dragon had a purple dragon standing over them to make sure they all kept still and remained on their bellies as Glade began to approach.

Glade walked up to the giant flat boulder in the center of camp and sat down in front of the rows of defeated dragons who were all facing her. She took a deep breath and sighed as she prepared her speech. "This is a sad day. Many good dragons from both clans have died today. I lost several friends of mine today as did all of you." Glade said as she looked out toward the bound crowd.

"I wish it didn't have to be like this. Though were it not for my intervention, many more would have died at the orders of Tempest and his council. My hope is that no more dragons have to die, regardless of scale color. I take no pleasure in what happened here today." She said, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "But I believe that things are going to change for the better soon enough. This pointless feuding between our two clans has to stop, and it has to stop right now!" She said sternly.

All of the bound dragons in the camp seemed frustrated at what she had to say. Anyone who tried to shout something out or protest was quickly quieted by the guard standing over them.

"For many years my clan and yours have feuded and fought each other. The more we fight, the more time the Vrykul have to plot against us. They are the real enemy. Take a good look around you, at your friends, your family, and at my clan. We are all dragons here. We weren't meant to live like this. Dragons are supposed to stick together and have each others backs." She continued.

"Tempest and his clan plotted to massacre my people in the dead of night. I stopped him before he could carry it out. After our cruel leader, Nithogg, was disposed of, Tempest banished us all to live on scraps and to suffer from starvation. What would be fair is if I exiled all of you and forced you to live as we have. If all of you could know the suffering my people have known for months, that would make us square. But I am not a vengeful leader. I don't want to punish any of you for the actions of Tempest just as my clan doesn't wish to be punished for the actions of Nithogg. I want us all to live together in peace." She said.

Glade looked out at everyone to see she still had their attention. "I know all of you are still bitter about what has happened here today. If I were in your position, I would feel the same way. The truth is that I am your Highdragon now. I know that is hard to admit but you will admit it in time so that we can move forward. I have a dream where dragons of all color live together in harmony, combining our numbers and our magic to take back Stormheim from the Vrykul. I believe that if you just give this a chance, we can rebuild, regroup, and secure our place as the true masters of Stormheim." She continued, hoping to inspire them all despite their bitterness.

"I am not a tyrant. I am not a liar. I am not cruel. Every thing that I've said, everything that I've done for this clan, I meant it. I did not pretend to be your friend just so I could stab you in the back when your guard was down. The friendships I made with all of you were real and I enjoyed them. I know that after what happened today our relationship will never be the same, I understand that. Hopefully as time passes, your resentment towards me will lessen and we can go about our normal lives. I am a fair leader. I will not ask you to bow down before me and kiss my feet. I will not ask you to worship me as god and make me the center of your universe. I am not Nithogg. The only thing I ask is that you swallow your hatred and move on with your lives. With that said, I will now lay out the rules for you all." She said.

Glade stepped down from her boulder and started to pace back and forth in front of them. "I understand you are all upset and angry at me for killing your Highdragon. I get it. Which is why for the first few weeks, any insubordination or defiance will be dealt with severely and mercilessly. I do not wish it to be this way but that is how it must be. Hopefully once tensions have settled, I can be more lenient with punishments but for now, any whiff of revolution will be crushed, swiftly." She continued.

Glade shook her head. "No longer will there be a council. A council makes you weak and makes you hesitant to act. A leader needs to be decisive and swift with their decisions. I will make whatever choice I deem is necessary for the survival of our clan. This does not mean you cannot advise me. If you are concerned that an action I am taking is unfruitful, please feel free to speak up. But remember that my decision is final and absolute." She said.

"Rape, stealing, and murder are forbidden. I can't believe this has to be said but I am saying it. This goes for my clan just as well as yours. Nithogg let his high-ranking dragons do whatever they pleased. Not anymore. Here, the rules apply to everyone. I want you all to know that my clan is not above yours in any way shape or form. A purple dragon who steals will receive the same punishment as a blue dragon who steals. As I said before, I am fair. Nobody is above the rules, not even myself." She said, still pacing back and forth.

"Lastly, nobody is to leave the camp grounds without the permission of one of my officers. This is only temporary. Once I am confident that nobody is sneaking off to plot against me, I will allow everyone to go as they please. For now, nobody leaves without an escort. That is all for the rules. It is a short list of rules, so I trust they will not be hard to memorize. I hope that all of you will set aside your bitterness and anger and help me in uniting our two clans. This is a new era for dragons in stormheim. Tomorrow, we wake up to a new world... a world where dragons of all scale color work together to eliminate any and all threats. A world where dragons, not the Vrykul, are the rulers of Stormheim." She finished.

Glade looked at all of the guards standing over the bound dragons. "Cut them loose." She said to her guards with a nod.

The guards standing over each bound dragon, brought their claws down to the dragon's ankles and cut them free.

"Remember." Glade said. "This is just the beginning. As a newly united clan, we have a lot of growing and maturing to do. Tomorrow is the start of a new beginning. For now, one of my guards will accompany each of you to your caves to make sure there is no plotting afoot and also because there is a shortage of caves. Hopefully in time we will let go of our grudges and find news caves to shelter my clan. I will have your assignments for each of you at dawn. For now, you are dismissed." She said turning to leave.

After being cut free, Aurora and Cyclone took their daughter and began to head back to their cave in silence. As they looked around, there were many dead bodies of friend and foe alike. Glade's dragons were disposing of the corpses to get the camp all cleaned up, no doubt sending the fallen warriors to an undignified grave.

Once they were back at the cave, Aurora and Cyclone curled up together in a ball in their nest, with Daisy resting in between them. Both of them were still horrified at what had happened today and as a result, there was a long silence between them as they thought things over.

They both appeared visually distraught. Aurora looked up to her mate with a worried face. "I can't believe this is happening. It feels unreal." She said silently.

Cyclone looked back up to her. He reached his front feet forward and interlocked his claws with hers so they could hold on to each other. "This isn't the end. We're still alive... we still have a home... we still have our daughter." He said as he was just as worried as she was. The two of them pressed their foreheads against each other and closed their eyes.

Glade's guard that was assigned to go with them walked up to their nest and leaned over to see what they were up to.

Cyclone looked up to the guard who was scowling at them. He lowered his brows. "What do you think you're doing?" Cyclone snapped at him.

"Making sure you two aren't up to no good." Said the male guard.

"Are we not allowed our privacy as mates?" Aurora said trying to be calm and diffuse the situation.

"As long as there's no plotting going on over here." Said the guard with a scowl still adorning his face. He turned to walk away, laying down on the floor several feet away from their nest.

Aurora and Cyclone looked back at each other for a moment until they heard the sound of footsteps behind them. They looked up to see Eclipse and Shadow walking slowly into their cave.

"Both of us were forced out of our caves to make room for all the new dragons joining our clan." Shadow said.

Eclipse was silent, not acknowledging anybody. She just stared at the ground quietly.

"They told us to seek shelter with friends. I hope you don't mind, Aurora." Said Shadow as she had her wing around Eclipse's shoulder to help her move along.

Aurora and Cyclone both shook their heads. "No problem at all, Shadow. You're welcomed here." Aurora said.

"Great." Said the guard, obviously annoyed. "More dragons living in this cave. A few more and we can have ourselves a party, hmm?" He said sarcastically.

"Bite your tongue, worm!" Shadow snapped.

"My name is Midnight. You best watch that mouth of yours lest you desire trouble." Midnight said.

Shadow chuckled in a mocking manner. "You think I'm afraid to go toe to toe with you? You want to go?" She said, threatening.

Cyclone stood up. "Enough!" He said sternly, trying to calm everyone down. "Shadow and Eclipse, you two can rest in Daisy's old nest. She'll be sleeping with us now." He said, looking to Midnight. "Can you atleast try to get along with others?" Cyclone said to him.

Midnight rolled his eyes and laid down on his side, facing towards the wall and away from all of them.

Aurora turned her attention away from the bickering to look towards Eclipse. "Eclipse?" Aurora said softly.

Eclipse didn't respond. She just kept walking until she reached the spot where she was told to go. She then laid down on her side and curled up into a ball, alone.

Aurora could see how Heartbroken Eclipse was. She had never seen Eclipse this distraught before and it made Aurora sad to see her that way. For a moment she debated going over to try and talk to her again but it appeared as though Eclipse just wished to be left alone.

"Are you guys okay?" Shadow said, looking to both Aurora and Cyclone.

Aurora nodded. "I'm just worried about Eclipse." She said.

Shadow nodded. "She'll be fine. She just needs time." She said. "I'm going to go for a walk to clear my head. I believe we all could use that." Shadow said before making her way towards the cave exit.

As it was getting later in the day, Aurora, Cyclone, Shadow, and Midnight were all eating together, but Eclipse was still laying down, not even bothering to touch her food. Aurora sighed and lowered her head. She walked away from the rest of them to go check on Eclipse.

"Eclipse..." Aurora said softly. "I know you're upset, I am too. But you have to eat." She insisted, trying to scoot the food closer to her but Eclipse pushed it back away, not saying anything.

Aurora sat down and folder her wings in front of her. "You know...Tempest was like a father to me. After my parents died, he was always there for me to teach me important life lessons that only a father could. He helped me with my magic and combat skills. He taught me a lot of things as did you. My dad died when I was really young and I didn't get a chance to bond with him much. I always felt like Tempest was my real father and I looked up to him like one." She said, pausing for a moment to compose herself as she growing sad just talking about it.

"He was like the morale compass of our clan. Everyone measured themselves according to how Tempest was. His character was the standard by which everyone else held themselves to. Never before had I ever encountered such a wise, loving, compassionate, and noble leader. His death is a tragedy not only for this clan but the whole world as well. Today, the world lost one of its greatest dragons." Said Aurora.

"I never got a chance to tell him..." Eclipse whispered softly, just loud enough for Aurora to hear.

"I never told him I was pregnant..." Eclipse said with a failing voice. "He died not knowing that his bloodline would continue... not knowing that he was a father. My children will never know what kind of person their father was. The only thing they will know is that he was assassinated by a treacherous coward." Eclipse said, her voice tone turning from soft and emotional to angry and resentful.

Aurora was satisfied that Eclipse was at least talking. Eclipse rolled over until she was now laying on her said facing towards Aurora. She had a scowl on her face that Aurora was not used to seeing. "I inspected the wound on Tempest's neck. It wasn't deep enough to be a swift clean death and it wasn't small enough to spare him. It was just the perfect size to keep him alive long enough for him to bleed out in excruciating pain. He died in agony which is exactly what I'm going to do to Glade." She said with a deep hatred in her voice.

"I agree, Glade needs to die. But not right this moment. Live to fight another day, Eclipse." Aurora said, pushing the food towards Eclipse. "Our clan follows you, not Glade. We will help you bring Glade down but you need to eat. We can't overthrow her if you starve to death." she reasoned.

Eclipse nodded slowly and started to eat the ram meat that had been placed in front of her, much to Aurora's delight and relief.

"I care about you so much, Eclipse." Aurora said. "I don't want to lose you. Just promise me you won't be reckless." She asked.

Eclipse nodded slowly and reluctantly. The only thing she cared for at the moment was justice for her fallen mate.

After seeing Eclipse's reponse, Aurora went to go join her mate and continue eating her meal.

"How is she?" Cyclone said after swallowing another bite of meat.

Aurora motioned for him to come closer so she could whisper to him. Cyclone moved his head toward her, perking his ear upwards near her mouth.

Aurora whispered into his ear. "Eclipse has a plan to take down Glade. She needs our help." She said softly. "But i'm worried about her. I've never seen such bitterness and hatred come from Eclipse's mouth before. She isn't herself." Aurora said.

Cyclone nodded as he listened and then turned his mouth toward her ear to whisper back. "If we move against Glade, you have my aid. But I suggest we proceed with caution. Glade made it clear defiance would be dealt with without mercy." He said back. "I shudder to think what Glade might do to us or heaven forbid, Daisy." He said, always being the cautious one of the two.

Just the thought of Daisy being hurt sent a nervous chill up Aurora's spine. The deaths of Thunder and Tempest weighed heavily on her mind but the cost of losing a child just might be more than she could bear.


	40. Chapter 40: Defiance (Part 1 of 3)

The next morning, Aurora and Cyclone were enjoying a bit of family time before they went off to work. Both of them were sitting beside each other as they were trying to prop Daisy up so she could take her first steps. After a few tries without success, Aurora was able to prop her daughter up and let go without her falling. Sure enough, Daisy was on her feet and was able to stand up straight without falling over, much to her parents delight. Cyclone lowered his head to her level and tried to motion for her to walk towards them to give her a hug.

Daisy wasn't too familiar with her feet just yet and was slightly wobbly even as she stood. After watching her parents walk around for a good amount of time, she tried to copy what they were doing. The front right foot was always the first to go forward followed immediately by the back left foot. Aurora and Cyclone kept an eye on her feet to make sure she didn't get tripped up and to also help her if she needed it. Aurora motioned towards Daisy's front right foot forward first, doing a demonstration for her.

Daisy put her front foot forward slowly until she was firmly planted and then allowed her back left foot to come next. Next she slowly moved her front left foot forward and then her back right foot. It finally struck her that walking was little more than just a pattern of movements repeated multiple times. She moved her feet in the pattern she had recognized and soon enough she was slowly walking towards her parents. Her knees were still wobbly but she was finally walking.

Aurora and Cyclone were so proud. Once Daisy finally walked over to them they picked her up and showered her with loving affection, hugs, and kisses. Daisy could notice her parents were pleased with her and it made her happy. Her face lit up and she giggled while flapping her wings excitedly.

All the commotion from the family caused Midnight to wake up from his long morning slumber. He groaned and pounded his tail against the ground in frustration. "Can't you see I'm trying to sleep? Why do you insist on being so noisy this early?" He complained.

Both Aurora and Cyclone were rolling their eyes, trying not to focus on him. They decided to not say anything, giving Daisy their attention instead of him.

"And you." Midnight said, pointing to Shadow who was eating a morning meal. "Is it really that difficult to chew with your mouth closed? I could probably hear you eating from the peaks of Highmountain." He said.

Shadow grumbled and put down her meal. "I've had just about enough of you and It hasn't even been twenty-four hours! Maybe if you didn't sleep in all morning like a lazy pig we wouldn't be bothering you with our noise." She said spitefully.

Midnight slammed his tail against the ground loudly and raised his tone of voice. "And I've had it with your disrespect! Ever since I've arrived you shown nothing but disdain and disgust for me! I understand you're still sore about being defeated but I would atleast expect some form of maturity!" He said.

Shadow scoffed. "Maybe the reason I don't like you isn't because of your scale color. Maybe I don't like you because you're a jackass!" She yelled back.

As Aurora and Cyclone tried to ignore them, Daisy was starting to get frightened. All the loud noises, voices, and fighting started to upset her. She looked up to her parents and started to quiver her lip and shake as if she was about to cry. She started lightly whimpering, which caught her parents attention. Aurora quickly picked Daisy up and cradled her in her front legs, trying to soothe her.

While Aurora was calming their baby, Cyclone clenched his talons and walked over to Midnight. "Shut up or get out." Cyclone said sternly.

"And just who do you think-" Midnight said before he was interrupted. Cyclone picked up Midnight by the neck and started dragging him out of the cave. Midnight wasn't prepared for the sudden grabbing and wasn't able to defend himself.

After a brief moment, Cyclone was able to drag Midnight out of the cave and set him down in the grass. "Now, go calm the hell down and when you do, then you can come back. I won't have you upsetting my daughter." Cyclone said roughly before stomping back into the cave.

Once Cyclone was back in he looked over towards Shadow with a stern gaze. Shadow's eyebrows perked up in surprise. She placed her wing over her mouth as if signalling that she would keep quiet. Cyclone nodded affirmatively and went back over to his mate who was laying on her side, holding Daisy to calm her down.

When Cyclone got back over to them, he could see Daisy had a few tears coming down her cheeks but she was slowly calming down. After a while, Aurora was able to soothe Daisy enough for her to stop shaking. Aurora then looked up to Cyclone and smiled. "Thank you." She said, happy that the noise had stopped as she too was getting a headache from all the bickering.

When everything had settled down, Eclipse, who had been in the corner the whole time finally perked her head up. "Is he gone?" She asked.

Shadow nodded. "Indeed."

After hearing Eclipse speak, Aurora perked her head up. "Eclipse? Have you thought any more about what we do next?"

Eclipse nodded. "Yes. I believe I have an idea, not too different from the one Glade used against us." She said.

"Poison?" Cyclone said.

Eclipse shook her head. "No. As angry and bitter as I am, I won't stoop to Glade's level. I won't murder dozens of dragons who are just following orders. I plan to put all of Glade's warriors to sleep so I can put an end to her swiftly." She said.

Shadow shrugged. "How do we do that?" She asked.

"Simple." Eclipse said. "I know how to create a drink that will put even a dragon into a deep slumber. I've been eavesdropping on a few conversations lately. Apparently later tonight, Glade is hosting a victory celebration just for her warriors and hunters." She said shaking her head in disapproval. "Those arrogant fools...If we can get a hold of their drinks before the celebration starts we can put them all to sleep and then take Glade out." She said.

"Sounds easy enough." Said Aurora.

Eclipse shook her head. "Unfortunately not. I lack the ingredients necessary to concoct such a mixture. The ingredients needed for this concoction are magically synthesized. The others are very rare and must be hunted out in the forests." She said.

"Very well." Said Cyclone. "What do you need from us?" He asked.

Eclipse looked to Aurora. "The main ingredient I need can only be magically synthesized. My magic is purely lightning but we need arcane. Lately the broken isles have been visited by many strange creatures from the other continents of the world. One group of these strange creatures are known as 'Blood Elves' and their arcane magic is second to none. They can synthesize a mixture known as 'Leytorrent' that when mixed with a rare herb called Silverthorn, can create a potion that will put even the mightiest of dragons into a deep sleep." She said.

"I trust you can use your diplomacy skills to try and get them to make you a dozen or so Leytorrent potions. Their encampment is to the far southeast of Stormheim." She said.

Aurora rubbed her chin. "I suppose... Won't they want something in return?" She asked.

Eclipse nodded. "Yes. That is why i propose you take all of the herbs from the infirmary and offer as many as you need. I suspect the cost for the potion will be high. If they take a good portion of our herbs, it will take us some time to retrieve more but I would pay that price gladly to take Glade down. Just try not to bargain more than half of them away." She said with a nod.

Eclipse then looked towards Cyclone. "Since you can fly, Cyclone, I'll need you to find the special herb I just mentioned, Silverthorn. Luckily its properties are very unique, you can't miss it. It's a red plant, almost like a rose, yet it is surrounded by protective coating of thorney silver weeds. It might take you some time to find it but hopefully you will. The next time you are out hunting with the others, see if you can sneak away from Glade's watchmen and try to get to the nearest mountain to start looking." She said.

Cyclone nodded. "I will do what I can."

"And Shadow." Said Glade. "I want you to find out who is guarding Glade's food storage. See if he or she has any weaknesses that we can exploit to gain entrance."

Shadow nodded, as did the rest of them. "Will you watch Daisy while we are away?" Aurora asked.

Eclipse nodded. "Of course. I won't let her out of my sight even as go to raise awareness around camp of what we plan." she said.

"If all goes according to plan, we should have our camp back in no time. I wish you all the best of luck on your endeavours. We will never bow to Glade. Defiance is the only solution. This will all be over soon, trust me." Eclipse said before they all went off in their separate directions to accomplish their tasks.

Several hours later, Aurora had managed to sneak out of camp after Eclipse distracted some guards. She had made it to the southeastern border of Stormheim. As she approached the Blood Elf camp, she couldn't help but notice all the bizarre features. There were a ton of floating towers, brightly colored fabrics, and magical floating brooms and books everywhere. Everything in the camp appeared bizarre to her as she wasn't accustomed to this strange culture. As she approached the camp entrance, she kept her head down in a submissive manner as to not alarm anyone. The guards on top of the gates surrounding the camp pointed their weapons at her signalling her to stop which she did.

After a few moments the gates opened and out came a young blood elf squire, who appeared to be little more than a twelve year old approached. The squire was dressed in a red shirt and pants with yellow shoes. Golden hair flowed down onto his shoulders as he looked at Aurora. The young blood elf stood in front of her with his arms folded and a snotty look on his face.

"Anaria shola, malanore." Said the blood elf.

"Um..." Aurora said, not sure what to say. She was still taken back by how strange everything around her seemed. When she looked inside the camp, everyone looked the same. All of the elves were tall and slender, wearing bright-colored clothes and had long flowing hair.

To her, it was almost impossible to tell the difference between a male and female elf since they all looked the same. The only creatures she had ever known that stood on two legs were the Vrykul and usually the males had huge long beards and were more tall and muscular than their female counterparts. All the blood elves were clean shaven and thin, leading Aurora to believe they were all females. Aurora lowered her head down to be at the same eye level as him. "Do you by chance speak Draconic?" Aurora asked.

The young squire perked a brow. "Fortunately for you, most Blood elves are fluent in many languages. State your business, dragon." He said in Draconic for Aurora to understand him.

"I wish to make a deal. I have herbs in my satchel that I would like to trade in exchange for some potions." She said, still somewhat distracted by the strange looking structures and people.

"Very well. I'll allow you to speak with the Magister." Said the squire before turning to go back into camp.

When Aurora looked down, the ground was covered in purple-colored satin rugs. As she prepared to take a step forward the squire quickly shouted at her. "Stop!" Said the young elf in an angry tone of voice. "Don't you dare take a step forward into our camp with those dirty muddy feet of yours!" He said.

Aurora perked an eyebrow, confused. She looked down at her feet, wondering what he was talking about. She had been forbidden to enter places in the past but never before had she been denied access to a place because of the state of her feet. When she looked at him he was carrying a bucket of water and a rag. "Down on the ground!" Said the squire with his usual demanding and angry voice.

She did as instructed and laid down on her belly, waiting patiently for him to do whatever it was he was doing so she could speak with whoever was in charge. She looked over her shoulder behind her to see the elf boy was scrubbing the bottom of her feet roughly with a rag,using soap and water to try to clean her so she didn't track mud into their camp. Aurora looked forward again and sighed in annoyance as he scrubbed her heels. Already she was starting to dislike this place and its peculiar inhabitants.

After spending what seemed like an eternity of thorough washing, Aurora was finally allowed into the camp. Once she was in, she took a look around and seemed somewhat intrigued by just how unusual everything was. The elves were practicing their arcane magic, dressed in robes and cloaks while magical floating brooms swept the place clean. Up above there were many floating lanterns and crystals all over the place. Their purpose was unknown to Aurora but she quickly started to realize these creatures were much more flamboyant than the Vrykul she had known for so long.

Once they entered the Magister's palace, the whole room was decorated with bright colors, decorative drapes, and floating crystals. Once Aurora was brought before the Magister, he looked up to Aurora and raised his hand. "What is it you want from us, Dragon..." He said, appearing uninteresting yet a sort of mysticism surrounded his tone of voice.

"I have herbs." Aurora said, laying down the huge satchel on the floor. "I wish trade. We are willing to exchange these herbs for a dozen or so Leytorrent potions." She said.

The Magister scoffed, rubbing his chin. "Potions you say? Now what on earth would you need those for? Dragon's have no need for magical concoctions or powerful enchantments." He said.

Aurora shrugged. "I'm just hear on orders. I need to retrieve something for my clan." She said.

The Magister perked a brow. "And just what do you plan to do with these magical potions? Dragons are born with a natural and instinctual perfection of magic. You seek even more power?" He asked.

Aurora shook her head. "Our business is our own. If you don't wish to trade, then I will be on my way to find someone who will. I'm not here to answer questions. Just tell me your price." Aurora said.

The Magister signalled for a guard to check the satchel to make sure it really was filled with real herbs. After verifying her satchel was indeed full, the Magister looked up. "We'll take all of them."

Aurora's brows perked up and her jaw dropped. "All?! You cannot be serious!" She said, feeling as though they were extorting her.

"Do you desire our magic? Then this is our price. Non-negotiable. Do we have a deal?" He said.

Aurora bit her lip for a moment. She remembered Eclipse saying only to bargain half of the herbs but it seemed as though the Magister was set on his deal. Aurora figured she would gather more herbs later to make up for it. "Fine. Deal. In return I want at least one dozen of your magical Leytorrent potions." Aurora said, still feeling upset about the unfair deal.

"Very well. The potions will require a few hours of work to be assembled. Our squire will escort you to a place where you may wait patiently." He said, raising his hand to signal for the squire to take her away.

The squire tugged on Aurora's leg to get her to come along. As Aurora was being escorted back through the center of camp she could help but notice all the elves were staring at her.

"What? Never seen a dragon before?" Aurora thought to herself internally. "This place is weird." She said, finding the feeling of walking on satin rugs and being surrounded by such brightly colored decorations to be unsettling. Despite the Vrykul being mortal enemies of dragons, Aurora at least had some respect for their culture. They lived off the land, taking only what they need to survive, caring little for tidiness or fashion. The culture of the Blood Elves was a bit to luxurious and unnatural for her tastes.

The squire brought Aurora to a tent where she could have some shelter from the sun. A large soft purple carpet was laid down on the ground underneath the tent for her to lay down. Aurora didn't want to be rude so she just rolled her eyes and just did as expected. She laid down on her belly with her wings tucked to the side and her head perked up so she could continue listening to him.

"Your potions will be delivered to you here. You are to wait until they arrive." Said the elf squire.

Aurora nodded. "Thank you, young elf-girl. Your hospitality is most welcomed." She said, bowing her head respectfully.

"Excuse me?" He said, appearing irritated. "Elf-girl? How dare you call me that! Are you blind? I am not a girl!" He said angrily. He folded his arms in front of him and turned his head away from her in annoyance.

Aurora seemed confused. Judging by all of their features, she could have sworn they were all females due to their slenderness and lack of beards. The squire certainly did not look like a male to her. She didn't believe he was telling the truth.

As the squire had his arms folded and had his head turned at her. Aurora reached a front claw forward and hooked it into the waist of his red pants and undergarments. She pulled his pants forward a bit so she could take a peek into his undergarments. After a quick inspection she was able to see that he was a boy afterall.

When the squire looked forward and saw she was looking down his pants he quickly swiped her claw away and backed away from her. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he was furious with anger.

"How dare you! You dare to humiliate me?!" He said, practically screaming.

Aurora tilted her head at him, confused. She wasn't sure why he was so upset. "What's the matter? I just wanted to check for myself. I was able to see that you are a boy afterall. I apologize for calling you a girl." She said to him.

"You saw nothing! Don't you ever touch me again or you'll be skinned alive!" He said, still flushed with embarrassment as some nearby young elf girls saw what happened to him and were giggling. The squire quickly stormed off into his tent angrily.

Aurora still had a confused look on her face. "What was that all about?" She said, not understanding why he was so upset at her for inspecting him.

Aurora sighed as she was quickly growing annoyed at how weird this place was and how strange all the elf people were acting. She laid back down on her belly, resting her chin on her front legs and waited patiently she started to wonder what Cyclone and Shadow were up to, wondering if they were having as boring of a day as she was.


	41. Chapter 41: Defiance (Part 2 of 3)

Cyclone was out hunting with the rest of the clan like on any normal day. The group of hunters, usually led by Thunder, was now led by Cyclone but his leadership was overshadowed by the watchmen Glade sent to keep an eye on them. The watchmen critiqued and constantly corrected Cyclone's orders to the point where it didn't even feel like he was in charge at all. After spending several hours hunting, Cyclone and his friends Rose and Oak were all skinning a very large bear, harvesting meat to bring back to camp. Glade's guards watched over all of them constantly, but for a brief moment, the guards left the three dragons alone, giving Cyclone a chance to explain the situation to all of them.

"I need your guy's help." Cyclone said, looking up from the bloody carcass they were all harvesting from.

Rose perked a head up and nodded. "What is it?"

"I need to get out of here. Eclipse has a plan in motion to take back our camp but she needs me to gather a secret ingredient from the mountain top. I can't go anywhere with her guards constantly watching us every second." Cyclone said.

"Plan?" Rose said, sounding uncertain.

"Yes a plan. We're going to overthrow Glade." Cyclone said. "We're gathering ingredients for a sleeping potion to knock out her warriors so we can dispatch her." He said confidently.

"Oh Cyclone..." Rose said, lowering her head.

Cyclone perked a brow. "What?"

"I don't know about this... Glade isn't your average dragon, she'll be able to see a trap coming from a mile away. It hasn't even been a few days yet. Can we not wait till a later time?" Said Rose.

"What's wrong with you, Rose? You're okay living like this? Being watched every second of every day? Not allowed any freedom to do as you please not even to talk without supervision?" He said.

"It beats the alternative." She said, thinking any insubordination would be punished by death.

Cyclone was disappointed. "I'm sad to see your spirits are low. This is no way for a dragon to live. We have absolutely no liberty whatsoever. I can't even lay down and curl up with my mate without someone checking over our shoulders to make sure we aren't whispering treasonous messages to each other. Do you not care for freedom?" He asked.

"I care about my life more than my liberty and you should to. You have a family, Cyclone. What happens if you are caught? Your mate and daughter would be left without a father." She said.

"It is because of them that I am doing this. I want my daughter to grow up in a world where she can run, play, and be happy, free from watchful eyes. This isn't a united clan, despite what Glade says. This is an occupation." He reasoned.

"I don't like this idea, Cyclone. I don't just fear for my life, I fear for yours as well." She said. "Please reconsider."

Cyclone shook his head. "If I die, I will die knowing that I gave my life to stand up for what is right and just. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty if it means securing a safe future for those I love. The more we submit to Glade, the more freedoms and rights she will strip away from us. I'm not asking for you to risk your life. I'm not asking you to risk anything. All I want is for you to create a diversion."

Rose looked down to the ground for a moment, unsure how to feel.

"Please, Rose. I appreciate your advice but my life is my own. You and I have been friends for a long time now, if ever you owed me and favors, now would be my time to call them in." He said.

She sighed. "What do you need from me?"

Cyclone smiled happy that she was going to help him. "Rear up on your hind legs and interlock your claws with mine." He said.

Once Rose did as he asked, she interlocked her claws with Cyclone. "What now?" She asked.

"We're going to start a fight." He said, looking over to Oak, who up until this point didn't have much to say.

"Go get the guards, tell them there is a fight." He said

The two purple watchmen were sitting underneath the shade of a tree, munching on a few leftover scraps when Oak approached them. "Guards! Guards! There's a fight! Help quickly!" He said.

The guards quickly got up and rushed to where Oak led them. When they arrived on the scene, both Cyclone and Rose were reared up on their hind legs, their claws interlocked in a struggle as they growled at each other. Cyclone pretended to have the upperhand and tossed her to the ground, pinning her wings and her neck.

"Those scraps were mine! You stole them from my collection!" He said trying to swipe at her face but Rose was deflecting his blows.

Both guards quickly rushed Cyclone, grabbing him and slamming him up against the base of a tree. "Picking fights are you?" Said the first guard. "With your own clan nonetheless?" He said, surprised that the fighting wasn't happening between Glade's clan and his.

"She started it!" Cyclone said, pretending to be mad.

"If you don't calm down you'll spend the rest of the day in a hot jail!" Said the second guard.

Cyclone sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry. Perhaps I just need to take a walk and clear my head." He said.

"Well you're sure as hell are not hunting with us anymore. Get out of my sight!" Said the first guard, throwing Cyclone aside. He then walked over to Rose who was pretending to be hurt. "Are you alright?" He said offering to help her up.

Rose had mustered up some fake tears, much to Cyclone's amusement. He was impressed. As the guards were tending to her, Cyclone quickly slipped away into the forests before taking flight, heading towards the mountains.

Back at camp, Eclipse was getting the word out. She went from cave to cave, slipping between guard patrols to get everyone on board with her idea. She eventually turned up at Ruby's cave. Ruby's son had left her cave a while ago after becoming old enough to live on his own. Ruby had recently become one of the backup pantry workers after all the positions at the nursery were all filled up, this of course caught Eclipse's attention. As Eclipse explained her plan, Ruby seemed hesitant.

"Are you okay?" Eclipse asked.

Ruby gulped and nodded slowly. "I'm fine I just... I'm afraid." She said, always been the most timid and shy of all the girls in camp. "If this plan backfires there is going to be hell to pay and I don't want to be the one to pay the price." She said.

"You're asking me to slip something into their drinks. That is an act of insubordination. We all heard what Glade said about the punishment for defiance." Ruby said.

Eclipse got closer, placing her wings on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, we can't do this without you. None of us will ever be able to get even close to the pantry without being swarmed by guards. Without you, this plan won't even happen and all of our work will be for nothing!" She said getting a bit more stern.

Ruby started to shake a bit nervously. "But... Glade said..." She said before being interrupted.

"Forget about what Glade said! Trust me, I give you my word, Ruby, that if anything goes wrong, I will say that I forced you to do this. If you were acting under duress, you will be acquitted. I know it's dangerous but it has to be done. I've known you since you were just a hatchling, but now, for once, I need you. Will you not take a stand against evil with me?" She said hoping Ruby would say yes.

Ruby was hesitant, thinking about whether or not she should help.

At the top of the mountain on the border between Stormheim and Highmountain, a great blizzard raged at the mountain top. Harsh winds and heavy snow reduced visibility to almost zero. Cyclone's tough scales and thick hide protected him from the cold thankfully. After many fruitless hours of searching, he had not a single herb to show for. He placed his wing in front of his head to shield his eyes so he could see straight forward. As he slowly pushed his way through the snow, he looked for common places to find the Silverthorn that Eclipse wanted but he could see none. He was running out of time and had only a few hours left until Glade was to take a headcount and make sure everyone was in camp before nightfall.

As he continued slowly advancing through the blizzard, Cyclone came across what appeared to be a female human. He knew it couldn't be a Vrykul given how tiny she was. The human was faceplanted into the snow, unconscious and freezing out quickly. Cyclone bit his lip and turned the other way, knowing that his clan was counting on him to collect the Silverthorn. If he didn't gather it, the plan they had devised would be pointless. He tried to stay focused on the task appointed to him and turned to head off in a different direction to go try and look for more flowers. After taking a few steps he closed his eyes and sighed. He turned back around and headed over to the freezing female human.

Once he got over to her, he flipped the human over and checked for a pulse. Surely enough she was still alive, but barely. Cyclone laid down on his side and picked the female human up and cradled her in his legs. He then brought his head down over top of her before shielding them both from the frigid blizzard winds by using his wings. Once Cyclone had shielded her and himself from the wind, he could see in front of him once again. He looked her over and noticed that she appeared to be young, not quite a full adult but she was close. She was still out cold and shivering vigorously.

"Come on, don't give up. Don't you die on me." He said as he brought her close to his chest to share his body heat with hers. In addition, he breathed hot breaths onto her to try and warm her up. After a few minutes of gently tending to her, she started to show signs of stabilizing. She was still shivering but not nearly as much as before. Cyclone spent about an hour with her, tending to her every moment to keep her alive until the Blizzard had passed.

After the hour was over, Cyclone unshielded both of them and brought his wings back to his sides. when he looked around, the Blizzard had stopped, as did the winds. Everything was calm now and it was just snow but it was starting to get late. Cyclone realized he we going to miss his opportunity to gather herbs in order to save the girl's life. He looked her over as she slept. She was covered from head to toe in thick white clothing, hiking gear, a winter coat, spiked winter boots, and a scarf but apparently it wasn't enough. His first thought was to check for frostbite so he could treat it quickly if she did have it.

He lifted up her arms and gently pulled off both of her white gloves, checking her hands for frostbite. He looked over the front and back of her hands as well as her fingers, they were cold but not frostbitten. The smooth delicate skin on her hands was unlike any flesh he had seen before. After checking her hands, he lifted her legs up and used his claws to gently slide off her winter boots before removing her woolen socks. As he was looking over her bare feet, inspecting her heels and toes for frostbite, he started to wonder why humans were built with such soft vulnerable flesh. Her hands and feet were so soft and smooth to the touch, unlike the Vrykul. The Vrykul had thick hides almost like that of a wolf but not her. If she didn't have hard winter boots to protect her soft feet or her gloves to shield her hands from the cold as she grasped rocks and climbed, she would have never made it up the mountain in the first place.

After he finished looking her over, he found no signs of frostbite but her skin was cold and numb. He put her equipment back on and waited. Since the Blizzard had died down, he was debating whether or not he should leave her and hopefully find at least one Silverthorn for Eclipse to use.

He spent another couple of minutes breathing hot breaths onto her body until her eyes finally started to open. When the girl awoke she was justifiably frightened to find herself in a dragon's grasp. As she looked around frantically, she started to notice it was no longer Blizzarding and that she was much more warm. She looked down to see herself resting gently in Cyclone's legs, close to his chest.

"You... you saved me?" Said the girl in draconic, looking up to him.

Cyclone seemed surprised that she spoke the same language as him. He shrugged and smiled. "Just trying to do the right thing." He said.

She lowered a brow for a moment. "You're not going to eat me are you?" She asked nervously.

Cyclone's face lit up with a chuckle. "No, I'm not going to eat you." He reassured. "You're safe now. I had a look at your hands and feet while you were out, fortunately you are not frostbitten and you should be able to return home without any problems." He said.

The girl smiled and placed a hand on his chest. "I owe you my life, Dragon. How can I repay this debt to you?" She said.

Cyclone shook his head. "No need. I'm only here for Silverthorn." He said looking down at her as he held her still.

She chuckled. "What do you think I'm up here for? To enjoy the view?" She said jokingly. She took her backpack off of her shoulders and placed it in her lap. When she opened it up, her backpack was filled to the brim with Silverthorn. "For you." She said gesturing the backpack to him.

Cyclone seemed very surprised. Perhaps the reason he had such a hard time finding the herbs was because she harvested most of them. Still, his humility overcame him. "You've worked so hard to gather all of these. It would be a shame for you work to go to waste." Cyclone said, trying to be humble.

"It would be a shame if I had died. I thank you for sparing me that fate. Please accept these as a token of my gratitude." She said.

Cyclone nodded at her reasoning and smiled before he took the bag from her. "Thank you very much, human girl. You may have just saved my clan in return with these herbs." He said offering to help her stand up.

She accepted his claw getting back up on her feet. "You know, my people think of the Dragons the same way they do wolves. Just another animal that wants to prey on us. I didn't know Dragon's were capable of such compassion... such nobility. For what it's worth you have made a believer out of me." She said with a smile.

He bowed respectfully to her, thanking her for kind words. He then looked down the generous offering herbs she had given him. "Perhaps being altruistic pays off after all." He said jokingly, realizing that doing the right thing really can come back around sometimes.

Back at camp, Eclipse was talking with Shadow. "What's the news?" Eclipse said to her friend.

"I slipped the mixture you gave me into the pantry workers dinner. He should have a pretty nasty stomach bug for the next couple of days... plenty of time for Ruby to replace him and sabotage Glade's warriors." Shadow said.

"Excellent!" Eclipse said. As she revelled in the fact that her plans were falling into place perfectly, Cyclone arrived back at camp, carrying a satchel.

Eclipse bowed to him. "Did you get what I need?" she asked.

Cyclone chuckled. "Oh I think you'll be pleased." He said opening up the satchel to show her the herbs.

"Wow." Eclipse said with a huff and smile. "Certainly you are more resourceful than I had anticipated." She said, commending him.

Not too long after Cyclone's arrival, Aurora came back aswell, managing to slip past the guards as most of them were preparing for the celebration that was almost at hand. She explained the situation of what happened at the Blood Elf encampment briefly.

"You traded all the herbs away?" Eclipse said, sounding disappointed.

"Unfortunately they would settle for nothing else. Fear not, I will replenish our supply as soon as I can." She said, looking to her mate with a smile. "Hey!" She said happily. "I see you've had a productive day as well?"

"I suppose you could say that. I'll tell you more about it later." He said.

"Aurora." Eclipse said. "I've taken what I need from Cyclone's satchel. Can you return these herbs to the infirmary? I'm sure we can find some use out of them."

Aurora nodded. "Of course." She said, taking the satchel and quickly heading off so she could get back in time to tell her mate about her day.

After arriving at the cave, Aurora had a look around, seeing how bare the cave was after she traded all of the herbs away. No doubt a large task was ahead of her to replenish the supply but it was a price she was willingly to play. As she headed deeper into the cave to store the Silverthorn, she suddenly encountered Glade, who was waiting at the back of the cave, her back against the wall and she was polishing her claws.

"Oh Aurora! So good of you to stop by!" Glade said in a suspicious tone.

"Oh uh...Glade! I uh... I wasn't expecting you." She said nervously.

Glade shrugged. "Just thought I drop by and say hello to my good buddy Aurora! Say, is it just me or does this place look a little barren to you?" Glade said taking a step forward.

Aurora was starting to feel stressed out as Glade was on to her. "We've been robbed." Aurora blurted out.

"Robbed?" Glade said, faking surprise. "Well my heavens! Who would do such a thing?" She said taking another step closer to Aurora.

Aurora took a step back as Glade was slowly advancing towards her. "But the only person with the authority to enter this clan was you? So, if you don't mind me asking... where are the herbs, Aurora?" Glade said, continuing to walk forward.

Aurora remained silent, she continued backing up until her back was up against the wall and Glade was moving upon her.

"Oh Aurora..." Glade said with a sigh, slowly shaking her head as she was mere inches from Aurora's face. "I'm not in the mood for games. You're going to tell me what happened to the herbs or there will be hell to pay..." She said, lowering her eyebrows.

"I burned them all." Aurora said, which caused Glade to chuckle.

"Oh really? Where?" Glade asked, amused.

"The valley." Responded Aurora. "Look, I was having a bad day. I made a stupid mistake because I was angry about what happened to Tempest and I wasn't thinking straight. I realize now that my actions hurt not only your clan but mine aswell. I'll spend the next few days replenishing our supply." Aurora said turning to leave.

Glade stuck her wing out, preventing her from going anywhere. "Oh no you don't... I'm going to send somebody to check the valley for the ashes of the herbs. If they go out there and find nothing..." She said, shaking her head. "Well... I think you know what will happen." She said in a threatening tone.

"Glade I-" Aurora said but she was interrupted.

"No no. Not another word, Aurora. It's too late for that." She said walking out of the cave to get one of her clanmates to go check on the valley. When she returned to the cave she could notice Aurora was trembling with nervousness.

"You are so going to regret crossing me if I find out you're lying." Glade said, getting closer and closer to Aurora's face.

Aurora's heart raced with nervous fear, knowing that Glade would not hurt her, but instead hurt her family. She had never been this fearful before as she knew her daughter's life was in danger. She knew once the scout returned, she would pay a deadly price for her defiance.

What took only a few minutes seemed like an eternity to Aurora but Glade's scout finally came back to the cave to report. When Aurora looked up she saw it was Midnight and gasped, knowing that after what happened earlier in the morning, Midnight would have his chance to get back at her and her mate for kicking him out.

"Did you find the ashes?" Glade said, already knowing the answer in her head.

"I did." Said Midnight.

Both Glade and Aurora turned their heads to him and dropped their jaws in disbelief.

"I found the ashes and brought them back in a bag." He said spilling the ashes upon the ground. Aurora couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Glade thought for sure Aurora was lying but it turns out she was telling the truth. She suspected Aurora was using the herbs to plot against her but she now realized she was wrong. "Wow. You really must be stupid after all." Glade said to Aurora. "Without medicine your clan will suffer as will mine." She said getting up in Aurora's face one last time.

"Since it doesn't appear like you did anything treasonous, I'm letting you of this hook this time. You did save my life and brought me into your clan after the Battle of Stormheim, I thank you for that, but Aurora." She said making sure eye contact was met. "We're even, do you understand?" Glade said.

Aurora gulped nervously and nodded, relieved that her family was no longer in danger.

"Good." Glade said. "Now clean this mess up and get back to work. We're going to need a lot of herbs." She said trodding through the ashes that Midnight had spilled on the ground.

As Glade was leaving Aurora looked up to Midnight, still in disbelief at what he did for her. Midnight met her gaze for a moment and winked at her with a smile before turning to leave himself.


	42. Chapter 42: Defiance (Part 3 of 3)

Aurora quickly ran after Midnight, who was heading back to their cave. Once Aurora caught up with him, he was already back inside the cave and getting ready to lay down for a bit. Aurora was still in shock that he covered for her despite everything that she, her mate, Shadow, and Eclipse had done to him.

"But... I thought..." Aurora said, still at a loss for words. She was sitting down on the cave floor, looking down at him as he was now laying on his side, facing her.

"You thought what? That I hated you?" He asked with a perked brow. "Perhaps that is the impression you got from me from our first few encounters. Though if you knew a bit more about me then you might understood why I do the things that I do." He said.

"I barely know you. Why would you risk your life to save me?" She asked.

He shrugged. "We share a common enemy. Perhaps for the moment, our interests temporarily align."

"Glade is your enemy? What for?" Aurora inquired.

Midnight sighed, looking down to the ground. "I lost my mate during the coup of this clan..." He said softly with noticeable internal turmoil coming from within him. "Maple...my sweet Maple... she was the love of my life." He said, visually upset.

As Aurora saw him displaying emotional grief, she felt sympathy for him. She lowered her head in respect and laid down on the ground, laying on her side facing him. "I'm so sorry..." She said.

Midnight closed his eyes, still thinking of his fallen mate. "Glade told us that she needed everyone to overthrow Tempest... Our numbers were so few that the only way she thought we could win was if everyone went, regardless of position." He said, closing his eyes, taking in a deep sigh. "She was just a nursery worker... she had no business being on the battlefield."

Aurora frowned as she was touched by his story. At that moment, Aurora started to wonder how lost she would be without her mate. The pain would be more than she could possibly bear.

"She was pregnant... We were going to be a happy family... Then Glade just sent her to the frontlines." He said, still almost on the verge of crying. "She didn't even know how to fight... I couldn't save her..." He said.

"In her lust for power, Glade took everything from me. I lost my mate, my children, and my home in one swift stroke. I won't stop until I have done the same to her." He said, looking up to her. "I've known about your plan to overthrow Glade since Eclipse first came up with it."

When he said that, Aurora perked up a brow, wondering how he could have possibly uncovered their plan.

"You're not as sneaky and subtle as you think you are, Aurora. Luckily, you just may find an ally in me yet." He said, his sadness fading away in favor of his usual calm composure.

Aurora sighed. "I'm so sorry that all of this happened to you. I understand that nothing I can say could possibly ease your grief. The only thing I can offer to you is an opportunity to avenge her death. Fight alongside us and together we can avenge Tempst. We can avenge Maple." She said.

"I have nothing left to lose. Whatever I can do to sabotage her, I will do." He said. "I believe in you Aurora, and I believe that a council is necessary to prevent one dragon from having too much power. My hope is that you will not think ill of all of us purple dragons because of the actions of Glade." Said Midnight.

Aurora smiled warmly. "Of course." She said, thankful to finally have an ally once more.

* * *

On the other side of the cave, Eclipse was pacing nervously as she awaited news from Shadow, who was currently attempting to sabotage the pantry worker so Ruby could take over her spot. After a few minutes of nervous worrying, Shadow returned, much to Eclipses delight.

"Have you done it?" Eclipse asked hopefully.

Shadow nodded and smiled. "Ruby is now the temporary pantry worker. Everything we have worked towards is falling into place." She said.

Eclipse smiled and patted Shadow on the worker. "I thank you for risking your life once again. Hopefully this will be the last time. Never again will a tyrant oppress the liberty of free dragons." She said.

"Eclipse, you should let us handle this. You're pregnant. If you stay here we can-" She said before being cut off.

"I just started my pregnancy." She said looking down to her belly to notice a very slight bump starting to form. "I'll be fine. I have to avenge my mate. Glade's downfall must come by my claws." She insisted sternly.

As the two of them conversed, Aurora walked up to them, joining the conversation. "Midnight is our ally now, you can trust him with our plans." She said, allowing Midnight to overhear their conversation.

Eclipse nodded, still suspicious of Midnight's involvement. Deep down, she had a feeling that Midnight would betray them. She trusted no one.

"This is it." Eclipse said to all of them. "The warrior's celebration starts in less than an hour. We have to act swiftly. The very fate of Stormheim hangs in the balance. We will kill Glade, and see to it that freedom and peace is restored to all the lands."

"What would you have us do, Eclipse?" Asked Midnight.

"You, Aurora, and Cyclone are going to attend the celebration early and see to it that every warrior drinks their potion and is put to sleep. Once I am certain all the warriors are asleep, I will make my move on Glade. Make haste, Ruby is already mixing the potions into the drinks as we speak." She said.

"Good luck." Eclipsed said with a smile, hopeful that this would be the day she would finally avenge her mate and secure a safe future for her unborn children.

* * *

After bidding farewell, Aurora and Midnight were walking towards the center of camp where the celebration was about to take place. "Keep on your toes, Aurora. Glade's guards are more clever than you think. Be careful not to arouse suspicion." He said as he walked beside her.

As they were walking together they came across the pantry which was on the way. Cyclone was standing guard outside to make sure nobody walked in on Ruby as she was preparing the sleeping medicine. Once he saw his mate and Midnight making their way towards the celebration he joined up with them. "Everything is falling into place here. What is the plan?" He asked.

"We're making sure things go as planned here and that everyone is put to sleep so Eclipse can get to Glade." Aurora said.

A few moments later they had arrived and most of Glade's warriors were already in attendance as well as Glade herself. Once Glade saw the three of them approaching, she folded her wings in front of her and perked a brow before approaching them.

"Well I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting you two to show up." Glade said to Aurora and Cyclone. "I assumed most of your clan wouldn't on account of what happened to Tempest." She said. "How are you doing?"

Cyclone shrugged. "Fine. Just fine." He said.

"Really?" Glade said curiously.

He nodded. "Well you know, it's been a hard time for everyone but we're learning from our mistakes and growing from our misfortunes. The only true way to move on is to accept what has happened and to try and make the most of it."

Glade smiled. "Very insightful. Have you told that to the rest of your clan?" She asked.

Cyclone shook his head. "No. I don't think they're ready to hear that yet." He said.

Glade nodded back. "I understand. Well I'm happy to hear you're at least giving this new clan a chance. Can I offer you some food and drink?" She asked.

"Sure." Aurora said, putting on a fake smile to feign interest in the celebration at hand.

Aurora, Cyclone, Midnight, and Glade walked together through the center of camp. Purple dragons were starting to gather all around, forming small circles and having conversations with each other as they waited on Ruby to bring out food and drink for everyone.

The four of them sat down in a circle and looked at each other. "I see you're getting along with Midnight here." Glade said looking to Midnight. "Where is your mate? Is she not attending tonight?" Glade asked, not knowing the truth that his mate was dead.

The fact that Glade neither knew nor cared about his fallen mate made him furious. Deep down, Midnight was seething with anger and contempt towards Glade but he was able to masterfully compose himself and put on a happy face. "She's feeling a little under the weather. I'm sure she'll join shortly." He said, not wanting to reveal the truth and give Glade reason to doubt his loyalty.

As they conversed, Ruby shortly came out, serving everyone drinks. Once Aurora caught eye of Ruby serving everyone she gave a small smile as their plan was finally coming into place. When Ruby finally came towards their group, she offered a drink to the four of them but Aurora declined.

"We ate and drank before we came here. Save the food and drink for Glade and her clan. It's time we give them a proper welcome." Aurora said, gesturing for her to serve Glade the water.

"Thank you, Ruby. I appreciate you filling in at the pantry. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed." Glade said politely before drinking what was served to her.

Aurora was surprised that Glade drink the water so easily. She had a gut feeling that Glade had been on to them from the beginning.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment there is something I need to take care of. You three enjoy the party." Glade said with a smile and a bow before taking off, heading towards her cave.

Aurora, Cyclone, and Midnight started looking around, wondering what was going to happen when the potion started kicking in. They decided to look normal and pretend like they were enjoying the party by striking up conversation with each other.

* * *

From a distance, Eclipse was spying on the party, keeping an eye on her friends and foe alike to make sure nothing went wrong. After a few minutes of silent spectating, suddenly dragons started to collapse, falling onto their backs and bellies, out cold. After a quick grin Eclipse started to make a run for Glade's cave, determined to end Glade's reign once and for all.

When Eclipse arrived at Glade's cave, there were two guards standing watch who had yet to drink anything.

"Halt." One of them said as Eclipse approached. "Glade wishes to be left alone."

Eclipse sat down in front of them. "Well that's a shame." she said while tilting her head slightly.

"Leave now." One guard said, assuming a threatening stance.

Eclipse used her head to gesture towards the center of camp. "You might want take a look at what's happening down there... things seem to be falling apart."

As the guards took a brief moment to look out towards the center of camp, Eclipse lunged at them, grabbing both of their heads and smacking them against each other as hard as possible, knocking them out cold.

After bashing their heads together, Eclipse looked over them for a moment to make sure they were still alive before heading into Glade's cave to take her revenge. When she walked inside, sure enough her arch enemy was laying on her side facing the wall, out cold from the potion.

Eclipse took a deep sigh of relief and took a few steps forward until she was standing over Glade. "A few days... what a lengthy reign. I knew you didn't have what it would take to be a leader. If only you were awake so I could see you suffer as you made my mate suffer." She said as she lifted Glade's head up and placed her front claws over her neck, preparing to slash her throat.

"It's almost a shame to end this so easily... almost." Eclipse said before sliding her claws across her throat, causing blood to gush out onto the cave floor. As her blood started to make a pool Eclipse took another relieved sigh and put her front foot on Glade's shoulder, rolling her over onto her back to look at her face.

Glade's jaw suddenly dropped as she looked down to see that it wasn't Glade. It was an unknown girl who had a similar appearance to Glade. Eclipse shook her head and took a few steps back.

"It's a trick... it has to be..." She said as she looked around, wondering what was happening.

"I'm disappointed." A voice said from the entrance of the cave.

Eclipse spun around as quick as she could to see Glade at the entrance of the cave, an army of purple dragons were behind her.

Eclipse backed up and shook her head again. "It's not possible... you-"

"I what? Am not as easily fooled as you think?" Glade said with a smile before walking into the cave, motioning for her guards to stay put. "You know..since you're almost a hundred years older than me I expected you to be a bit less predictable."

Eclipse growled and assumed an aggressive combat stance. "I'm not going down without a fight!" She said as she prepared to attack.

Glade huffed. "I'm so glad you feel that way! Otherwise I would have brought them here for nothing." She said, using her wing to gesture towards the cave entrance.

When Eclipse raised her head to see what Glade was pointing to, the guards dropped Aurora Cyclone and Midnight onto the ground. All three of them were tied up and the guards were threatening to kill them unless Eclipse stood down.

Eclipse's heart sank at seeing her friends taken captive. She could not believe what was happening. How could her plan have failed? How are all the guards not asleep? As much as her hatred for Glade seethed through every fiber of her being, she had no choice but to lower herself to the ground submissively.

Glade walked forward until she was standing right above Eclipse. She lifted up her front foot, preparing to knock Eclipse out.

"A wise choice. It would be a shame for them to share your fate..." Glade said.

Eclipse growled once again. "If you so much as touch them... I'll-"

"You'll do what?" Glade said before taking a long pause. "That's what I thought." She said before moving to knock Eclipse out.

The last thing Eclipse saw as she looked up was the bottom of Glade's foot before her vision went black and she went unconscious.

* * *

A soft muffled breath, the sound of grass rustling, twigs breaking underfoot, Eclipse heard several sounds as she was slowly coming to. Her eyes slowly opened to a blurry vision. She felt like she was being dragged. As she started to come to, she looked up to see two of Glade's guards dragging her towards the center of camp. Once she was tossed down on the ground, she looked out to see her clan in front of her, all of them pinned down to the ground with at least one purple dragon standing over each of them. She looked up to the sky to see the sunset slowly starting to paint the sky a bright orange.

"I don't get it." Glade said as she looked out towards the crowd of dragons. "I never wanted this to happen. I never asked for this... All I ever wanted was for Stormheim to be a place where dragons of all color could live together in peace. All I expected from you all was your silent cooperation." She said shaking her head and taking a deep sigh before turning to look down at Eclipse. "I should have known from the beginning that you would organize something like this... you were a councilor, a true leader at heart. Maybe it was foolish of me to let you live from the start. I wanted to make this place perfect, but you are the true enemy of freedom." She said.

Aurora and Cyclone were both pinned out in the crowd and they looked on in horror as Eclipse was being judged. Their daughter was in between them also laying on her belly.

Eclipse huffed and wiped some blood off of her lip. She looked out at the crowd of helplessly pinned dragons as the purple dragons stood over each of them, threatening them if they did not keep still. "You call this freedom?" She said.

"Do you want to know why you're here, Eclipse?" Glade said with her head tilted. "Do you want to know why your genius plan didn't work? Because she turned you in." Glade said pointing to Ruby out in the crowd.

For a brief moment Eclipse looked up to Ruby in disbelief, her heart sank to think that her once good friend would betray her.

"It's not what it looks like Eclipse! I did it for your own good!" She reasoned before looking up to Glade. "You promised you wouldn't hurt her! We had a deal!" Ruby said to Glade but before she could finish, the guard standing over her silenced her, pinning her down to the ground so she couldn't speak.

Eclipse was heartbroken to learn of Ruby's betrayal. She looked down to the ground with disappointment, refusing to look at her.

"You see, she has the right idea... maybe you should have listened to her from the start." Glade said before gesturing out towards the crowd that was pinned down. "This is your doing, Eclipse." Glade said with a scowl.

"I'll give you a chance to spare your life. Give me the names of your other co-conspirators and I promise your punishment will be less severe." She said, holding out a claw in a threatening manner.

Eclipse chose to remain silent and instead took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Out in the crowd, Aurora was desperate to speak up so she could turn herself in and spare Eclipse but the guard standing over her quickly pinned her down and silenced her before anyone could notice.

Glade nodded. "Very well..." She said before looking out to the crowd. "You have forced my wrath. I gave you all some freedoms some liberties in hopes that you would eventually come around. Now I see that I have made a mistake. I wanted you all to believe that our clans could coexist peacefully and I did so in a nice manner. If I cannot make you believe through kindness, I will make you believe through fear." She threatened.

For a moment Eclipse and Aurora locked eyes. Aurora was obviously horrified at what was happening, even more so that she could do nothing. Eclipse smiled at Aurora, proud of the dragon she had become and deep down she knew that Aurora would one day rise up to defeat Glade once in for all. Eclipse's bright warm smile lifted Aurora's heart for a brief moment. Eclipse looked up to the sky once more, admiring the beautiful colors one last time before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

"That's why we're here for." Glade said to the crowd. "To make you believe..." She said before placing her claws across Eclipse's neck and slitting her throat open.

Aurora's eyes narrowed and everything around her went completely silent as time itself seem to slow down as she watched Eclipse's demise. Around her, other dragons dropped their jaws in horror and shock.

Eclipse opened her mouth, trying desperately to get a breath of air but she could not. Blood gushed out of her neck rapidly, forming a pool on the ground below. After Glade let her go, she fell forward onto the ground infront of everybody before rolling over onto her back. As the life started to drain out of her, she began to experience hallucinations as her vision got blurry. She saw a vision of Tempest standing over her, extending his front leg forward to help her up onto her feet.

"I knew you'd come back for me..." She said extending her front leg forward to try and hold on to him, but before she could touch him, her eyes widened and her vision went to black before succumbing to her wound.

After seeing Eclipse die, everyone in the crowd that was pinned started to cry out in grief and anger. Those who tried to protest were quickly silenced.

After successfully killing Eclipse, Glade looked out towards Aurora and Cyclone. "Bring them up here next..." She said, knowing Aurora and Cyclone's involvement in the incident.

As the guards seized Aurora and Cyclone and brought them forward so they could be killed, a bunch of warriors in the crowd started to fight back against their captors. Seeing Eclipse murdered sent them into a frenzied rage and they began attacking whatever they could.

The temporary chaos gave Midnight, who was standing over an unknown red dragon, a chance to distract the other guards. He let the dragon he was standing over go and took a big inhale, gathering storm magic in his throat before letting out a deafening blast that distracted everyone in camp. After the guards were distracted, all-out chaos ensued. Midnight quickly ran up to the guards who were escorting Aurora and Cyclone and shoulder-rammed them to knock them over.

Midnight looked down towards Cyclone and Aurora. "Run! It's not safe for you here anymore! Go! Go! Go!" He said adamantly.

Aurora and Cyclone quickly backed up in shock. Cyclone lowered his head and picked up his daughter in his jaws before making a run for it. Aurora looked back to Midnight before taking one last glance at the camp. She then started to run, following after her mate. Since Aurora couldn't fly, the only way for them to escape was to make a dash for the forest so Glade's guards couldn't spot them from the air.

As the two of them started to flee, Midnight noticed that Glade's clan was getting the upper hand and ordered was starting to be restored. Using whatever magic he had stored up, Midnight began to use his lightning power to create a cloud of black smoke around the camp, reducing visibility to almost zero. This gave Aurora and Cyclone a chance to get a head start before being pursued.

As the chaos raged on in the camp, Aurora and Cyclone began running as fast as their feet could take them, heading out into an unknown future. They were now exiles.

As they continued to run, Aurora could not think of anything but Eclipse. She felt somewhat responsible. A deep sadness befell her heart as she ran with her mate. "Eclipse... I will avenge you... I'll find a way... I promise..." She muttered to herself as she ran. The sunset was starting to fade and darkness was washing over the land.

The future seemed uncertain. Their lives would never be the same again.


	43. Chapter 43: On the Run

A brief revolt followed Aurora and Cyclone's escape from camp, but it was soon crushed and order was restored. Glade stood among all of them, standing tall while the rest were on their bellies.

Midnight was pushed down onto the ground on his knees by Glade's guards. He grunted and lowered his head to the ground, exhausted from the fight and the magic he had used to allow Aurora and Cyclone to escape with their daughter.

Glade stood just mere inches away from Midnight. She lowered her eyebrows and scowled. "I expected this from their clan but not from you..." She said softly but with a malicious tone of voice. "We used to be friends you and I... we survived together and we worked hard to take this camp for our own. You just forfeited everything we worked so hard to obtain."

Midnight look up with a scowl on his face aswell. "I don't care... you killed my mate." He said, gazing into Glade's eyes, matching her resentment with his own.

Glade got down on her knees aswell so she could be eye-to-eye with him. "Tell me where they are..." She said softly to him before extending a long claw towards his face. "Or I will take your eye." She threatened.

Midnight spat right in her face. "Go to hell." He said.

Glade sighed and used her right wing to wipe her face off. She suddenly lunged at him, grasping him by the neck and holding his head still while holding her claw up to his eye.

"Wrong answer." She said before ramming her claw straight into his left, gouging it out. Midnight recoiled and screamed in pain while she dug her claw into his eye socket. Glade quickly pulled her claw out of his eye and released her grasp, letting him fall to ground while he writhed in agony.

The dragons in the crowd gasped and recoiled in terror. Even some of Glade's guards had their jaws dropped in shock at what their leader did but they quickly composed themselves.

Glade looked out towards all of them, holding out her bloody claw which caused some people to shake nervously. "I'm through playing around... Take a good look, burn it into your minds. The next person to cross me will lose an eye aswell! I tried being nice to you all but clearly that didn't work. If I can't get you to respect me, then I will get you to fear me." She said, her voice trembling with anger.

She turned her back to them and left, walking to the edge of camp. Ash,the leader of Glade's warriors and her most loyal guard followed behind her.

"What of Aurora and Cyclone?" He said to Glade.

"Find them." Glade said, knowing that as long as they were alive, they would plot to destroy her and her clan. "And kill them."

* * *

Aurora and Cyclone had retreated into the woods, making it all the way to the foot of Highmountain, which stood right on the border of Stormheim. Exhausted and hungry, they decided to spend the night inside of a barn on an abandoned farm. They scoped out the area, checking the house and the surrounding land for any signs of occupancy or danger but there was no one. Once they were inside the barn they climbed to the second floor and huddled close to the wall where it was easier to hide and stay out of sight.

Aurora tried to catch her breath. "You think we'll be safe here?" She asked, holding onto Daisy.

"I don't know. I sure hope so." He said, trying to sound optimistic but deep down he was feeling doubt, grief, and helplessness.

"Mama." Daisy said with a tone of sadness in her voice. "I'm scared!" She said with a faltering voice as she was frightened after having witnessed a gruesome death right in front of her innocent little eyes.

"I know..." Aurora said, hugging Daisy close to her chest to comfort her. "Me too..." She said softly before closing her eyes. Aurora was heartbroken and felt like breaking down at the loss of Eclipse but she could not afford any more tears. She knew she needed to be strong for her family as they no longer had a clan to keep them safe. They were on their own now, and survival would be a lot more difficult.

While Aurora calmed Daisy, Cyclone laid by himself and despaired. He blamed himself for what happened. He laid down on his side and curled up so he could go to sleep.

As Cyclone shifted about, the wooden floor of the barn creaked a bit, catching Aurora's attention. She looked up to Cyclone curling up to go to sleep. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" She asked with a tilted head as she held Daisy in her front legs.

"How do you know something is wrong?" Cyclone said, trying to act like he was fine.

"We've been together long enough. I know when something is troubling you." She said.

He shook his head. "I'm just tired." He said.

Aurora frowned. "Come on, I'm your mate. You don't have to be ashamed to share your feelings with me." She reasoned.

"It's my fault." He said.

Aurora tilted her head. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"I was supposed to watch Ruby while she sabotaged the drinks. I wasn't paying attention. If I would have been watching her like I was supposed to, I could have warned Eclipse... I... I could have saved her." He said, saddened.

"No no no, don't blame yourself for that. There's no way you could have known." She said softly. "Everything that has happened is because of Glade. Don't you forget that."

He sighed and nodded but couldn't shake the doubt that seemed to hover over him like a cloud. "I just feel...worthless... I could have done something I could have..." He said before stopping himself and sighing. "I'm pretty tired. I need some sleep." He said, lowering his head down to the ground.

As he closed his eyes and tried to forget everything that had happened he felt a warm breath lingering over his head.

"Hey..." Aurora said, placing a wing on his shoulder. "I don't think you're worthless. I love you." She said before rolling over onto her side facing him. "We've got to stick together." She said, raising her wing so he could scoot close to her and they could curl up and sleep together.

He looked up and gave a half-smile. "I love you too." He said accepting her offer and scooting up close so the two of them could curl up and share their body heat. Their daughter was already sleeping in between them.

"You're a hero, don't ever forget that." She said. "You're my hero." She said, uttering the same words he had said to her a long time ago.

Cyclone acknowledged her sentiment and was somewhat comforted but not enough to shake the doubt in his mind. "I don't feel like one..." He thought to himself.

A few minutes later, Aurora and Daisy were already asleep. Cyclone couldn't help but feel conflicted. Aurora called him a hero but he didn't feel like he deserved it. He hadn't done anything truly heroic since the Battle of Stormheim. He wanted his daughter to look up to and be proud of her father. As his eyes closed and he started to fall asleep, he wished there was some way he could prove he was a true hero.

* * *

Cyclone was soaring through the air, behind him was an army of warriors at his command. A great battle raged below. Flashes of lightning, bursts of thunder, and loud explosions could be heard from the battlefield as Cyclone flew above.

He looked to his left. "You all, circle around to the left, flank them." He said before looking to his right. "You all, to the right, cut off their escape! Don't give them anywhere to hide!"

The warriors nodded. "Yes sir!"

"The rest of you, with me! Let's finish this once and for all!" Cyclone said, rallying the warriors behind him before making a spiral dive downwards towards the battlefield. He could see Glade with his own eyes. She was barking orders at her soldiers, trying to figure out a way to escape.

"Not today!" Cyclone said as was diving towards the field. As Glade looked up toward the sky, she notice Cyclone flying right towards her and she started to run.

Cyclone was too fast for her. Before Glade could take off he landed right on her back, snapping Glade's neck immediately, killing her. He roared defiantly as he stood over her dead body. He cheered, causing the rest of the warriors roar heroically as the purple dragons were surrendering one by one after seeing their leader fall.

"We did it! Stormheim is free!" He said, much to the crowds delight as they all flapped their wings and roared victoriously.

A giant smiled adorned Cyclone's face as he felt proud of himself. He looked to his left to see Aurora slowly approaching him.

"You did it!" She said, obviously very proud of him. "You've saved us all! You're a hero!" She said happily.

Cyclone kept his smile and walked up towards her, wrapping his front legs around her tightly before meeting her lips in a passionate kiss. He hugged her as tight as he could as the two of them shared a long pleasant kiss.

"Cyclone." Said a voice but he couldn't identify where it was coming from. He shrugged it off and continued to kiss Aurora.

"Cyclone." Said the voice again, distracting him once more.

"Cyclone!" Said the voice louder.

Cyclone suddenly opened his eyes to see his lips and his tongue were pressed against what looked like the bottom of a Dragon's foot. It was morning outside but still completely dark as the sun hadn't risen yet.

He pulled his head back to see two white feet. He turned his head around to look over his shoulder and saw his mate laying on her belly looking over her shoulder at him.

"What are you doing?" She said with a perked brow.

He looked down to see his front legs firmly wrapped around her hind legs, hugging them in a tight embrace. He quickly realized he had been dreaming and instead of kissing Aurora's lips, he had been kissing her feet.

He quickly let her legs go and sat up straight, embarrassed. "Nothing." He said sheepishly.

Aurora seemed amused by his actions.

Something from outside bumped against the side of the barn, causing Aurora to perk her head up.

"Someone's outside." Aurora said, alerting her mate.

Both of them quickly sat up and took a peek out the window to see a party of Glade's warriors and hunters surrounding the barn.

"They found us! What do we do?" Aurora said, knowing their options to flee were highly limited due to her inability to fly.

"Hide! Maybe they won't check up here." He whispered, looking around for something to conceal them with. His eyes spotted a fairly large pile of hay on the second floor of the barn a few meters away from them.

From outside, someone was pounding on the door of the barn, trying to break it down.

Cyclone quickly sprang into action, picking up as much hay as he could and bringing it over to his family.

Aurora was holding onto Daisy, making sure she kept quiet. Cyclone took the giant pile of hay and set it down in front of them so they could hide behind it. He quickly huddled up next to Aurora, wrapping her with his wings to protect her. At that moment, the door of the barn was kicked down and the talking from outside was much more audible.

"Check the place out." Said a male dragon from outside. "The rest of you check the woods again, they couldn't have gotten far." He said.

Cyclone and Aurora held onto each other, fearful for their lives. They could hear the sound of footsteps as someone was walking into the barn. Aurora had her front foot over Daisy's mouth to keep her quiet. Daisy seemed scared by the situation but decided to stay still and silent like her mother wanted.

Silence fell over the barn, with the only sound being the dreadful footsteps. Even though Cyclone and Aurora were holding onto each other, Cyclone was ready to make a last stand should they be found.

Both of their hearts was racing nervously as they could hear the sound of tools hitting the ground and wood falling as the barn was being searched. Suddenly the footprints stopped and silence fell over the barn once more, so much so that even a drop of water falling could be heard.

Cyclone held onto his family nervously, both his and Aurora's hearts were pounding against their chests like waves on rocks.

Suddenly the bale of hay way hiding them was brushed aside and they were face to face with a purple dragon, a female, who managed to spot them.

Cyclone and Aurora gasped after they were caught. They both placed their wings over their daughter, holding onto her tight to protect her incase the dragon attacked.

The purple dragon seemed surprise to see them. Glade had mentioned that Cyclone and Aurora were ruthless criminals who were too dangerous to be kept alive but when she looked at them the only thing she could see was two frightened parents trying to keep their baby safe.

"Any sign of them?" Yelled an angry voice from outside.

The female dragon looked towards the barn entrance and then back at Aurora and Cyclone, staring at them for a moment.

"No sign of them." She said, much to Aurora and Cyclone's surprise. The dragon gave them a small half-smile before slide the hay back in front of them.

"The barn is all clear." The dragon said before exiting the barn and closing the door.

After seeing such benevolence and mercy, both Aurora and Cyclone's suspicions were both confirmed. Not all of Glade's dragons were evil. A few good dragons walked among them. Perhaps some hope of defeating Glade remained if only they could expose Glade's corruption to the righteous few among her ranks.

The family kept quiet for a moments longer until silence fell over the barn again. Both Aurora and Cyclone let out out a long drawn-out sigh of relief as they had been holding their breaths.

"Are you alright?' Cyclone said as he affectionately pressed his forehead against his mate's.

Aurora nuzzled him back with a relieved look on her face. "I'm fine." She said. "There are good dragons in Glade's army, we just have to expose Glade for who she really is and turn them against her." She said, checking on their daughter to make sure she wasn't too frightened.

"I hope so. For now we have to move. We still have the advantage of nightfall for a few more hours. We'll never be able to outrun Glade's warriors on foot in broad daylight." He said.

Aurora nodded. "I agree. We need to move as far away from here as possible. We should head west, make for Highmountain before the sun rises."

Cyclone nodded in agreement. Before they headed out, Cyclone moved his head forward to try and give Aurora a quick kiss on the lips but she rejected his kiss, pushing him back.

"Whats wrong?" He asked, confused.

"Your breath smells like feet." She teased snarkily before standing up.

Cyclone rolled his eyes. "Can we please just forget that ever happened?" He said, knowing how much she enjoyed teasing him.

"Afraid not." She said with a cocky tilt of her head jumping down from the second floor of the barn to leave, carrying Daisy with her.

Cyclone sighed in annoyance before jumping down and following after her, still rolling his eyes.

* * *

By sunrise, Aurora and Cyclone had made an impressive bit of progress. They were now in the heart of Highmountain, walking side by side as they made conversation with each other. While normally they would not be in the mood for fun after the horrors they had witnessed, they knew they had to keep their spirits up for the sake of their daughter. In a way, their daughter was a beacon of hope for them to continue on and keep their heads held high.

They passed through a river overlooking a small waterfall as they passed the time with stories.

"You have to be kidding, right? I was always the faster flyer." Cyclone said, as he was striking up playful conversation with her.

Aurora chuckled and shook her head. "Well I guess since I can't fly anymore you are technically the fastest flyer by default."

"Oh if only I could challenge you like in the good old days. That would make my day." He said.

"Or ruin it." She said cockily. "I always have a way of getting the upper hand on you." She said before moving her head around to look at Daisy on her back. "Who do you think is the bestest flyer ever?" She said in a sing-songy voice.

"Mama!" Daisy said very happily as she clapped her wings.

Cyclone huffed and looked forward. "Well, can't argue with enthusiasm like that." He said with a smile, accepting defeat.

Their merry adventure was quickly interrupted by a flying arrow that landed just inches from Cyclone's foot. After the arrow landed, Cyclone quickly recoiled and tried to shield his family from the arrowfire.

"Go back! Back back back!" Cyclone shouted, trying to cover them from whoever was assailing them. As they were retreating they soon came face to face with a band of human hunters who came out of their hiding spots to ambush them, all pointing their bows at them. Before they could retreat in the opposite direction, they were quickly surrounded by an entire party of hunters who held them at arrow-point.

Once they were surrounded, Aurora and Cyclone stood back to back with Daisy in between them. They shielded their daughter with their wings.

"Draconic? Do any of you speak Draconic? Please let us pass! We're not here to harm anyone!" Said Cyclone but none of them seemed to respond to him. A couple of hunters started prodding them with spears to get them to move forward. Aurora and Cyclone debated fighting back but they decided to try and resolve the issue through diplomacy, their preferred method of conflict resolution.

* * *

After being escorted to the human encampment, Aurora and Cyclone were muttering to each other, discussing strategy as to how they could escape should things go wrong. Once they reached the center of camp they had a look around. Their encampment was by no means glamorous. Mostly tents with a few wooden cabins scattered all over the place. The encampment was surrounding by a tall wooden fence made out of sharpened stakes to fend off outside dangers.

From the center cabin, an old mage emerged from his home sporting a long blue robe and wielding a long wooden staff.

"What have we here? Dragons?" Said the mage in Draconic so they could understand him.

"You...you speak our tongue?" Aurora asked.

The man nodded. "You'll find that many Mages are fluent in almost all languages."

The old man looked them over for a moment. "Dragons journeying on foot? How puzzling." Said the old mage in Draconic so Aurora and Cyclone could understand them.

Cyclone lowered his eyebrows. "Indeed. I never imagined the experience to be so perilous. If you mean to slay us and take our hides I should warn you will not go down without a fight." He threatened.

"The only harm we mean is to those who would do so unto us." Said the mage as he leaned on his staff. He looked between the Dragon's legs, spotting a young infant dragon huddling close to her parents for protection. "What do we have here? A family?"

Upon noticing the mage gazing at their child, Aurora brought her wing down to conceal Daisy from sight. "So I suppose holding us at spear and arrow point counts as not meaning someone harm?" Aurora said.

"Leave them alone!" Said a voice in the crowd, causing both the Dragons and the Humans to look at who was calling out. A young-adult human girl emerged from the crowd, quickly walking towards the Dragons to shield them from the Hunters with her own body.

Cyclone immediately recognized the girl as the one he had rescued on the mountain during the blizzard. "You..." Cyclone said.

"Step back! Don't get near them!" The mage said.

The girl shook her head. "These Dragons are not our enemy! This Dragon is the one I told you about! He rescued me on the snowy mountain. I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for him. Let them go...please...we owe them that much." She said.

Cyclone smiled, touched that she would stand up for him and his family. Perhaps doing good can come back around sometimes. This case in particular may have just saved his family.

The mage nodded. "Fair enough." He said raising his hand to signal the hunters to stand down before bringing his hand back down on his staff. After the hunters stood down, Cyclone looked down and smiled at the human girl. "Thank you." He said in a warm and friendly tone of voice.

She smiled back at him. "Call me Lucy." She said back to him. "The mage you speak to is Benjamin, my Uncle." She said gesturing towards her Uncle.

Cyclone nodded and bowed to them. "A pleasure. I am Cyclone, this is my mate Aurora and my daughter Daisy." He said, introducing his family. Aurora smiled briefly at them though still felt somewhat uncomfortable being in the company of such a large amount of armed humans.

"I owe you my thanks, Cyclone. I had never known Dragons to show such generosity and compassion before. You certainly aren't like the others." Said Benjamin.

"What do you mean?" Cyclone said with a perked brow.

"Dragons have been our enemies since we have arrived. We have lost many lives to the Dragons who seek to do us harm and take our land. Though you seem different from the others." He said.

"Were the Dragons you encountered of purple scale color?" Cyclone said.

"Yes I believe they were." Benjamin responded.

"They are just as much an enemy to us as they are to you. The Purple Dragons of Stormheim have taken over and seek to expand their land. They have subjugated the other colors of Dragons and are currently holding them under strict occupation. We are fleeing from them as we speak." Cyclone said.

The mage stroked his beard slightly and nodded. "I believe you. I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving my niece's life and as such I shall arrange some food, water, and other supplies for your family but first I have a question..." He said. "Why travel on foot?"

Aurora and Cyclone eased up a bit as the situation started to cool off. Cyclone gestured his wing toward his mate. "My mate, she injured her wing about a year ago and has not been able to fly ever since. We've tried everything we know how to do but to no avail." He said.

Benjamin tilted his head before walking forward, inspecting Aurora from head to foot for a moment he placed his hand on her left wing and tugged on it roughly, causing Aurora to recoil in pain for a brief moment.

"Well I'm not surprised. Her wing is dislocated. I needs to be set back into place." He said.

Cyclone and Aurora seemed surprised. Aurora remembered Eclipse saying that she had set her bones back into place. Could she have made a mistake?

"Your left wing is slightly crooked and out of place, tilting to the side as opposed to your right wing which stands upright like normal... anyone can notice the difference. I can help put it back into place but it will painful." He said.

Aurora huffed. "I've endured far worse." She said.

Benjamin nodded, gesturing for Aurora to come with him. "Come." He said.

Aurora and Cyclone looked at each other for a brief moment, wondering if Benjamin spoke the truth. Could this really be an end to Aurora's curse of flightlessness?


	44. Chapter 44: Ambush at the River

Aurora was laying on the ground, rolled over onto her side. Several of the strongest humans in the encampment were climbing up onto her back, getting ready to set her bone back into place. Aurora looked up to see Cyclone nearby, holding onto Daisy.

"Cover her eyes and ears. Don't let her see me in pain." Aurora said to him.

Cyclone nodded. "Of course."

"Are you ready?" Said Benjamin as he stood in front of Aurora, leaning on his wooden cane. "It should only hurt for a moment."

"I've endured worse. I'm ready." She said letting her head fall gently to the ground before taking a deep breath.

"Ready!" Said one human who was standing on Aurora's back. The humans had their hands on her wing, ready to snap her bone back into its socket on her shoulder. They waited for Benjamin's order.

Benjamin took a few steps back before raising his hand. "Alright on three..." He said.

Cyclone wrapped Daisy with his wings, shielding her eyes before gently covering her ears with his talons. Daisy seemed concerned but Cyclone was able to keep her comforted for the most part.

"One..." Said Benjamin. "Two...Three!" He said, giving them the order.

Once the order was given, the humans used all of their might to push Aurora's wing back into socket. A very loud snap from Aurora's bone was heard. Aurora roared out in tremendous pain, digging her talons into the earth and resisting the urge to fling the humans off her back. Her mighty tail slammed against the ground, causing a minor tremor through the earth.

She clenched her teeth as hard as she could as the pain soared throughout her shoulder and back. Though after the bone was set, the pain started to subside and she let out a long labored breath.

After it was over, Cyclone let go of Daisy who quickly ran up to hug her mother on the nose.

"You okay, mama?" Said Daisy as she wrapped her little wings around Aurora's snout.

Aurora smiled and gently rubbed Daisy's cheek with one of her talons. "I'm fine." She said, though her shoulder still ached from the painful experience. Cyclone walked up to her and lowered his head down to Aurora's to comfort her.

The Humans jumped off of Aurora's back and gathered behind Benjamin. "That should do the trick. Try not to use your wings for a while, it still needs time to heal but you should be able to fly soon enough." He said, smiling slightly.

"I can't thank you enough." Cyclone said, looking up to Benjamin. "You've shown us compassion and hospitality. I will not forget this."

Benjamin shook his head. "It's the least I can do. My Niece is alive because of you." He said gratefully. "You're more than welcome to stay with us for a while until you feel up to traveling again."

"I'm sorry, we can't." Said Aurora. "We have targets on our backs, we can't risk having your camp be a part of the collateral damage. I will make you a promise though... one day when Stormheim is free, I will see to it that no one ever threatens your encampment ever again."

Benjamin smiled once more and nodded. "Thank you Aurora. I have one last gift for you..." He said, reaching into his satchel and pulling out a map of the Broken Isles. There is no need for you to wander aimlessly and vulnerable. There is another place on these Isles...a safe haven for Dragons. I've drawn out directions for you on the map." He said, handing it to Cyclone who was still sitting in front of Aurora.

"Thank you, Benjamin." Cyclone said before using all his might to help Aurora back up onto her feet.

"Thank you, Dragons...I wish you safe passage." He said.

After collecting the supplies that the human gathered up for them, Aurora, Cyclone, and Daisy bid the human encampment farewell before heading off to continue their path of exile.

* * *

Glade ordered an immediate dismissal of all Dragons from the center of the camp. All of Tempest's former clan were ordered to go to their caves with several guards dispatched to watch them.

Shadow was carrying Midnight as best as she could back to her cave before Glade did anything else to him. Her front legs were wrapped around his chest as she dragged him as quick as she could. Once they returned to their cave she quickly set him down and tried to tend to his wound. Midnight insisted on hiding his injury but Shadow managed to pull his wing away from his head so she could have a look. When she saw what Glade did to him she gasped and covered her mouth in horror.

Midnight's right eye had been completely gouged out of his skull. Half of his face was stained in blood from his injury. Three huge claw marks were noticeable on his face from where Glade assaulted him. Since Aurora was gone and Eclipse was dead, there were no medics to tend to him so she had to do the best that she could. She applied pressure to his wound to try and stop the bleeding. Midnight occasional let out agonizing moans and labored breaths as he was in tremendous pain and shock.

As Shadow tried her best to clean up his wound and stabilize him, she couldn't help but feel choked up. A few tears gathered in her eyes but she didn't allow them to fall.

"Why!?" Shadow said. "Why didn't you just tell Glade I was a part of this? I'm not afraid of pain! You didn't have to do this!" She said, feeling guilty over Midnight's misery. Already blood was starting to stain her wing as she tried to stop his bleeding.

Midnight let out a long drawn out sigh. "No sense in both of us being miserable..." He said, fighting through the pain in order to speak with her. "Glade has hurt too many of my friends already...I won't let her hurt another one." He said before closing his other eye.

Hearing his noble words made Shadow feel even more saddened. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with her other wing. "Oh Midnight...I'm so sorry... all the mean things I've said to you...all the fights we've been in...I take it all back. I've treated you so horribly but I never knew you were capable of such nobility." She said. "You saved Aurora and Cyclone...you saved me..."

Midnight seemed touched by her words. "I appreciate your kind words, though I fear I have only have delayed the inevitable."

Shadow sighed, lowering her head. "So that's it then... we're played out." She said, knowing there was nothing else they could do after such a crushing defeat. "We failed. Ruby betrayed us...Eclipse is dead...Aurora and Cyclone are probably on the other side of the continent by now."

Midnight shrugged. "We did the best we could. That's all anyone could ever ask." He said softly.

"Now what?" Shadow said, feeling broken inside. "What's the plan?"

He shook his head. "There is no plan...not anymore. All we can do now is try to make the most out of what we have left. Glade won, we lost...we have to play by her rules now. It won't be an ideal life and it won't be an easy one, but we'll soldier on... we always do." He said, letting out a pain-filled sigh as pain continued to strike him like a sword.

When Shadow saw him retching in pain again she stood up. "You're in pain... I can't let you suffer...I...I'll go get some water just wait here and keep the pressure on your wound." She said turning to leave.

Before she could leave he grabbed her front foot with his own. "No." He said lifting up his head. "Don't go. I'm fine...I'm not thirsty."

Shadow looked down to see him holding her foot before looking back him.

"I don't need anything right now I just need to rest. I could use some company though...I could use a friend." He said, managing to work up a half smile.

Shadow smiled back at him. "Of course." She said, now holding back onto him.

* * *

Aurora, Cyclone, and Daisy eventually passed the border of Highmountain into Azsuna. They stopped at a nearby river to quench their thirst, the three of them had their heads lowered to the water to drink. As Cyclone gently lapped the clear water with his tongue, he suddenly noticed something coming towards him in the water's reflection. He gasped and turned his head around to look up towards the sky, seeing two purple dragons flying towards their position. Glade's warriors had finally found them. Cyclone gathered the power of the storm under his wings and quickly clapped them together, sending a gust of wind towards Aurora and Daisy to push them out of harm's way. He then quickly surrounded himself in a shell of lightning right before a massive explosive blast struck right near him. The explosion shattered his shield and knocked him off his feet and onto his back. When Aurora recovered from being knocked over she looked up to see two of Glade's warriors preparing to attack. She gasped and immediately started to cover her daughter from harm.

"They've found us!" Cyclone said as he quickly got back on his feet. "Get Daisy out of here! I'll hold them off as long as I can! Hurry!" Cyclone said to Aurora as he looked back up to the sky.

Aurora quickly picked Daisy up in her jaws and started to run. One purple dragon from above quickly started to pursue the flightless Aurora and her child while the second one started to engage Cyclone in combat but before the first dragon could get within striking distance of Aurora, Cyclone leaped into the air and extended his front leg forward, firing a lightning whip towards the first dragon, wrapping it around the dragon's foot. Cyclone then yanked on the whip, pulling down the dragon who quickly landed on the ground with an earth-shattering thud.

After grounding the first dragon, Cyclone was struck on the shoulder by a bolt of lightning from the second dragon, causing him to stumble back. Soon he was face-to-face with the two assailants who quickly started to surround him.

After reaching the forests edge, Aurora laid Daisy down in an empty tree hollow. "Baby, listen to me. Promise mommy you won't leave from this spot, do you understand me?" She said, desperately.

Daisy had a look of panic adorning her face. She quickly placed her front feet on her mother's snout, trying to hold on to her. "Mommy don't go!" She said, visibly frightened and almost in tears.

"I promise I'll be back. I won't leave you here. Just promise me you'll stay here alright?" She said, trying her best to calm her frightened child but was also in a hurry to get back to her mate.

Daisy nodded and slowly backed up into the hollow until her back was up against the wall. She then curled up into a ball and wrapped herself in her wings, still terrified.

Cyclone was backing up slowly as the two assailants closed in on him. He remembered both of them from camp. The first Dragon was named Smoke and the second one was named Thistle. The two of them followed orders from the head of Glade's guards; Ash.

"I don't know what Glade has told you about us...but we are not your enemies! We only wish to live in peace! Please, you don't have to do this!" He taking a step back further and further. Smoke and Thistle seemed unphased by his attempts to negotiate. They both lunged at Cyclone at the same time, swinging their front claws towards his face.

Cyclone deflected Smoke's blows with his own claws and managed to grasp him by the neck but before he could do anything, Thistle was already assaulting him with a flurry of blows. Cyclone was scratched multiple times on his shoulder, wing, and rib area. After letting out a painful grunt, Cyclone threw Smoke to the ground and quickly turned to give Thistle a back-handed smack.

Thistle ducked Cyclone's attack and charged him, sweeping Cyclone off the ground and slamming him against a nearby tree. In a furious frenzy, Thistle started rapidly clawing and slashing as quick as he could, trying to overwhelm Cyclone with an unceasing volley of blows. Each strike lashed forward in rapid succession.

The both of them were reared up on their hind legs as they dueled with their claws. Cyclone had to take the defensive and tried his best to deflect the endless onslaught of claw strikes heading towards his body. A few strikes slipped passed his defenses, wounding his belly slightly.

By this time, Smoke had managed to stand back up and began to rush towards Cyclone to help Thistle overpower him. Right before Smoke reached Cyclone, a massive shockwave shook the ground, knocking both him and Thistle back a few yards away from Cyclone, off their feet, and onto the ground. When Cyclone looked up, he saw Aurora standing a few yards away, charged with electricity to empower her attacks. Without hesitating, Aurora's left wing began to glow brightly for a moment until she slashed her wing through the air like a sword, sending a horizontal slicing beam of energy forward that cut a nearby tree in half. The tree fell forward, landing on both Thistle and Smoke with a loud crash, kicking up dirt, leaves, and twigs into the air.

Aurora quickly rushed over to Cyclone, looking him over for injuries. "Are you alright?" She asked. "Are you wounded?"

Cyclone grunted in pain. "Only my pride..." He said as he slowly got back up onto his feet yet again. Once he was back up, Thistle and Smoke managed to break away from the fallen tree, rising once more. They stood shoulder to shoulder with each other and growled, assuming a combat stance once more.

Aurora and Cyclone also stood shoulder to shoulder facing them. "Persistent lapdogs they are!" Aurora said as she growled back at them, ready to fight.

* * *

Daisy peeked her head out of the hollow she was staying in, looking around for any signs of her parents. She started to become more and more frightened. In the distance she could hear rumbling thunder and crashing lightning from the open field where her parents were fighting. She didn't want to wait any longer. She leaped out of the tree, landing on the soft bedding of leaves and grass on the forest floor. Once she got up, she quickly started to run deeper into the forest, trying to get away from the scary noises she had been hearing.

She panted as she ran as fast as her little feet could take her. She looked over her shoulder behind her, making sure no evil dragons were chasing her. Though as she was looking behind her and not in front of her, she ran head-on into something hard, causing her to fall to the ground on her belly.

"Ow..." She said softly rubbing her head, though when she looked in front of her, she saw a dragon's foot. She looked up to see who it belonged to before letting out a terrifying gasp.

* * *

Aurora was locked in a struggle with Smoke. Since she was a female dragon and thus naturally smaller than her male counterpart, physical confrontation was an uphill battle. Though she knew no dragon was a match for her devastating magic, each time she tried to cast a spell she ended up getting interrupted by his brutal blows.

Smoke swiped with his front leg and then with his left, trying to claw Aurora's eyes out. She ducked and sidestepped, trying to avoid being grabbed as she knew escaping would be difficult. As she used her nimble body to carefully evade his blows, she began charging up, her throat glowing blue with lightning power.

Before she could unleash her stored-up power, Smoke quickly headbutted her with his massive skull, dazing her. Aurora's vision was blurred and she tried to stand up straight. As she was attempting to recover, Smoke backed up and charged her left flank, knocking her to the ground instantly. Smoke quickly attempted to pounce on her, his eyes fixated on her exposed throat. He opened his mouth wide, getting ready to grab onto her neck so he could break it and kill her but before he landed on top of her, Aurora quickly composed herself and let out a fearsome roar, unleashing the energy she had stored up, blasting him right out of the air with a devastating electric blast. Smoke flew through the air before landing on his back with a tremendous thud. Aurora got up and ran towards him as quick as she could, picking him up by the neck as he was still dazed. She threw him right up against a nearby oak tree, lining up his head against the bark. Before he came to, Aurora spun around in a full circle and smashed his head in between her spiked tail and the bark of the tree, fracturing his skull and rendering him unconscious. After the devastating tail-strike, Smoke fell to the ground, knocked out.

After knocking him out, Aurora looked to her left, seeing the hollow tree in the distance where she had left Daisy. The tree was now empty. Aurora gasped and quickly ran as fast as she could to the hollow, inspecting it. When she saw the hollow was empty, her heart sank and immediately she was overtaken by fear. "Oh no..." She said her voice trembling. She started looking around, desperate for any sign of her daughter. "Daisy!" She called out but there was no answer.

Cyclone was locked in a vicious duel with Thistle, the two of them trading physical blows and magical attacks alike. As they fought, Cyclone heard someone shouting from the sky. When he looked up, he spotted Ash, the leader of Glade's warriors in the air, along with several other warriors with him.

"There they are! Kill them!" Ash commanded, sending a few of his warriors to finish Aurora and Cyclone off.

Fear struck Cyclone's heart as he began to suspect this might be the end of not only himself but his beloved family as well. He looked back at Thistle and growled. If he was going to die this day, he was most definitely going to take as many purple dragons with him as he could. As they prepared to lunge at each other they were both knocked away from each other by a blinding flash of purple light. Cyclone shielded his eyes for a moment before looking up. Much to his surprise, there were several blue dragons, each of them wielding the power of arcane. The blue dragons engaged Glade's warriors, easily overwhelming them with their superior numbers.

"Retreat!" Ash called out. "Back to camp!" He said as she tried to gather his warriors while avoiding devastating blasts of arcane magic.

After seeing the battle in the sky turn against Glade's clan, Cyclone went to go find Aurora, making haste as he didn't want to find out what would happen next. As he was trying to retreat from the action, he suddenly found himself face to face with several blue dragon warriors. He backed up and attempted to flee into the woods only to find more dragons blocking his path. He backed up slowly until he was out on the open field, surrounded by an impressive force of blue dragons. When he looked to his right he saw Aurora also being forced out into the open field. The both of them were quickly surrounded.

"Cyclone!" Aurora said as she started making her way towards him. "Daisy is gone! Glade's clan must have taken her! They must have-" She said but was interrupted as she heard whimpering cries coming from in front of her. When she looked forward she saw a tall female blue dragon sitting in front of her. The female dragon lifted up her left wing, revealing Daisy who was unharmed.

"Mama! Papa!" Daisy said as she left the female dragon's side and began to run towards her parents.

Cyclone and Aurora breathed a sigh of relief and lowered their heads to the ground to reunite with their lost child. They both smiled as they nuzzled Daisy affectionately. Cyclone raised his head towards the female in front of him.

"Who... Who are you?" He said, still confused as to what just happened.

The female dragon folded her wings in front of her as she sat upright. "I am Stellagosa. We are the Blue Dragonflight. Your daughter here informed me of the situation." She said, gesturing towards Daisy.

"Now I believe a better question would be...who are YOU?" Stellagosa said with a perked eyebrow as she was unaccustomed to encountering storm dragons this far west.

"We used to belong with those dragons you chased off. Our leader was overthrown by a tyrant so we fled." Aurora said, holding Daisy close to her side. "It appears they want us dead to tie up any loose ends. We've fled all across the Broken Isles. Can you offer us sanctuary? We would be extremely grateful." She said.

"Unfortunately that's not for me to decide." Stellagosa said. "Come." She said, gesturing her wing for Aurora and Cyclone to follow her and the rest of the warriors. By the looks of it, they had no choice as the blue dragons started to escort them forward, keeping an eye on them.

Aurora and Cyclone looked to each other for a moment, wondering who exactly she was referring to that would decide their fate.

* * *

The party of warriors along with Aurora and Cyclone arrived a hidden location deep in the forest. When Aurora and Cyclone saw the hidden sanctuary, their jaws dropped in awe. The hidden camp was covered in beautiful white crystals. Pure white leaves littered the soil that was colored a strange yet beautiful light blue. The surrounding trees were also blue, sprouting blue and purple leaves alike that glowed, illuminating the hidden camp with a bright blue light that guided the dragon's steps. The trees formed a sort of dome over the camp, shielding the place from sight and harm. Since the sunlight couldn't reach the camp, the glowing crystals and bright leaves gave the camp a sort of gentle nighttime feel to it while also giving light for the dragons to see just like the moon and the stars in the heavens.

"Welcome to Azurewing Repose." Stellagosa said, gesturing for them to walk forward. "He will see you now."

As Aurora and Cyclone took their first few steps into the beautiful camp with Daisy in between them, they stood in awe at how beautiful and mystical the place was. The strange blue soil felt unusualy comfortable and soft under their feet. A gentle breeze occasionally swept through the camp, cooling all the dragons off. They couldn't believe their eyes. In the center of camp there was a large pool surrounded by large purple crystals. The crystal's reflection gave the water a very beautiful and unique coloring. As Aurora and Cyclone took a few more steps towards the center pool, suddenly a gigantic ancient blue dragon rose from the pool, staring Aurora and Cyclone in the face. The ancient dragon was incredibly large, even larger than Tempest. They had no words. All they could do to was simply stare in awe at his magnificence.

"Greetings, friends." Said the Dragon with a very calming tone. His voice was warm and compassionate, and he spoke with a gentle smile that made everyone around him feel comforted. "I am Senegos."


End file.
